I Will Steal Your Heart
by winternightlullaby
Summary: Futaba is a 19 year old freelance programmer hired to secure the firewall for a national museum's security against the infamous Phantom Thieves. After a confrontation with the group, the leader claims he now wants to steal her heart. If that's not enough, some high-score-stealing basement-dweller finds her interesting enough to keep asking her out. Well, at least he's pretty cute.
1. Where it All Began

_Just got into Persona 5 and I love the chemistry between Futaba and Joker. Sad that the ship doesn't seem as prevalent in fanfics. I personally see the two more as lovers, but I do see the platonic love people mention. I just have such a soft spot for the little orange. This project is meant for fun! Don't come looking for angst here!_

* * *

Working in high-tech security was a physically and emotionally draining job. Futaba had gone through oceans of coffee working on a project that enhanced security in the national museum she had been hired to help. A freelance programmer like herself was paid top dollar for these projects thanks to her knowledge in hacking back in her teen years of rebellion. Oh, Sojiro would rather forget those years.

The recent strings of robberies had triggered the call for programmers like Futaba to help protect their inventory. A group known as the Phantom Thieves were responsible, the modern-day Robin Hoods of justice. Rumors had it that the treasures they stole had been acquired through illegal or dirty means. The Phantom Thieves would lift them and uncover mad evidence to incriminate the villains. They garnered quite a following, Futaba included, but the authorities didn't approve of the questionable methods they used. While Futaba admired their efforts, a girl's gotta eat and feed her gaming habit. She took on a job to defend the national museum from the thieves to prevent the security system from being overridden, but that didn't mean she was curious as to why the Phantom Thieves were targeting this particular piece.

Swallowing another gulp of coffee and spooning in a mouthful of curry rice, she reached for her buzzing phone that displayed text messages from her stepdad.

'Morning, Futaba. How's the apartment life treating you?' She had to smile. She moved out of Sojiro's a couple months ago to gain some independence and become a respectable woman in society despite her social anxiety, but she did what she had always done at Sojiro's with the added effect of having a job.

She shot him a text of the usual report and waited for a response, which was immediate.

"'Have you been outside yet?'" she read. She shoved her window open and stuck her arm out for two seconds before pulling back and slamming her window shut.

'Yes,' she typed, sending it without a second thought. The dots appeared on his end before the response popped up.

'Keep up the good work, kid. And eat something else rather than curry. I'll text you tomorrow.' She stick her tongue out at her screen before offing it and tossing the phone onto her bed. With her knees drawn to her chest, her fingers flew across her keyboard to check on her security system at the museum. A couple hits on the firewall, but nothing was able to lift it. She smirked. Her system was tighter than a virgin.

Her smirk thinned to a line as she went to check on the data she harvested from her client. Being security detail had its perks. No one would suspect as to why she was sifting through info. She bit her thumbnail thoughtfully as her eyes skimmed over the info.

"Original owner...coup d'etat...lawsuit...huh." It seemed like her client was a part of a scuffle over the ownership of the diamond seal displayed on the fifth floor. And he had taken the seal from the other who had equal ownership of it, or so he thought. Futaba had herself a dirty client. She'd probably reveal the info after pay day. She wanted to prove to herself that her system could stand up against the infamous Phantom Thieves. This was more to validate herself.

It wasn't like she was against justice. She'll reveal the info herself if they weren't able to beat her system. And if they did beat her system, then they would have the info and share it anyway. Pay day was in a few days anyway.

The arcade was opening in a few minutes and she wanted to get there early to avoid the huge crowds. It felt like her own personal nightmare when she made the mistake of going after school hours and being bombarded with teens and children over her high score of Alley Fighter V. Her heart wanted to beat out of her chest. Of course her dumb ass forgot any form of disguise so she not only had people peeking over her shoulder, she had guys approaching her and asking for her number.

Ugh. Never again.

She dressed appropriately and grabbed a small medical mask to hide her face. Her hair was an attention grabber, so she grabbed a beanie to cover up her long orange locks. Maybe she should've kept her hair black, someone said, that way she wouldn't stand out so much. She knew better than to take advice from an NPC. Fairly presentable, she finished snagging on her boots and pushed out of the door into the outside world.

Someone above must be liking her right now if she had nobody around who wanted to strike a conversation with her. In the arcade, she nodded to the manager before skulking towards the back where the Alley Fighter V machine stood tall. The screen showed the usual opening credits along with a credit reel of current score rankings starting from the 20th highest score. From what she remembered, she topped the chart a couple days ago and titled it under 'Oracle.' She had her stack of coins with her and was prepared to beat her own high score.

Annoyance took over quickly when her score was listed at second highest. Second. Now, you're probably thinking that it's just a score, she should get over it because it's a kid's game. But Futaba had pride over her gaming abilities even at 19. Who took over her score?! Probably some basement-dwelling loser who rose from their den to wreak havoc on Futaba's mood. And she could call them that because she was the same thing. Fuck you, whoever this Joker dude was. Actually, forget the 'e' because he's now a dud in her eyes.

The manager moved over to check on her, smiling when he saw the highest score pop up on the screen.

"Ah. Joker. Kid drew up quite a crowd when he was playing. Once he left, it got other kids fired up trying to beat his score. We made quite a haul with that machine. A pretty good-looking guy too. You might be interested in him and the two of you could be one hell of a duo." She didn't care for human conversation or relationships. She could barely handle going outside sometimes. She was more interested in revenge. She threw a fit as she sat down and slapped her stack of coins next to the control panel. Time to skip hard mode into merciless.

In pure Futaba fashion, she finally had the score taken down less than forty minutes later and topped it to hers where it belonged with ten thousand added points over Joker's. When the game asked her to input her name, she quickly inserted 'Git Gud' on the screen before she entered it into the records. She still had a handful of coins left, but she was purely satisfied. She pulled her beanie down when she noticed how ridden up it was during her intense session. It was about time for lunch and that meant the teenagers would flock in for a quick game before their next class session. She briskly walked out and threw up the peace sign to the manager before disappearing out the door.

That was enough of the outside world for one day. The only thing left of being out on her list was getting groceries. It was the one day of the week where she would buy enough groceries to last and cook a dish that wasn't curry.

She hurried into the supermarket and picked things as fast as she could from her shopping list. This should be enough for the week. And she decided to make carbonara for dinner. She should be praised for going outside the box.

As she walked back to the safety of her apartment, she saw a group of young people her age going into the arcade. While curious, she was exhausted from going outside. She shrugged it off and went home.

* * *

The next day started off as any other. She texted Sojiro her daily report and even added in her annoyance to the guy who beat her high score. He laughed it off and told her she should make friends with the guy, but she shuddered and gagged at the thought. She wasn't good at small talk and conversation.

Well, time to head off to the arcade again. Her firewall didn't get any abnormal hits last night and the client praised her work and promised an additional check if the firewall held until the transfer of the seal to another museum for a tour around the world. Someone was cocky. Did he expect her to follow along and continue security detail? He better not ask her to travel because she'd release the info ASAP.

Stepping out in her usual disguise, she headed over to the arcade as she planned for her daily dose of games and outside exercise.

Lo and behold, her score had been topped once again by a mere thousand points. This time, by someone named 'I'm Gud.' This was her final boss and she wanted to crush him. Her coin roll fell to the ground when her arm dropped, but she was too busy glaring at the mocking name to notice. Someone picked it up for her, getting her attention when he held it up to her. She followed the hand up to the perpetrator. It was a tall, young guy with unkempt hair and glasses. He was pretty good-looking. Her eyes widened. This must've been the basement-dwelling loser the manager talked about! He looked a little shocked to see her face hidden by her mask, but her eyes held a fire that he was on the receiving end of.

"T-this is yours, I assume." She snatched her coin roll back, seething to herself. Not only was her score beat once again, but the evil doer was right in front of her! The manager swept over and grinned.

"Akira! Good to see you! It seems you met Futaba!" Basement-dweller Akira palmed the back of his neck nervously.

"I don't think we've really met yet." Based on Futaba's reaction, she wasn't exactly happy to see him. The manager chuckled.

"The both of you are always topping the score charts these days! It's about time you've met." He just affirmed her suspicions.

"Target acquired," Futaba muttered on the side. Akira probably heard it. The manager led them to the two seats in front of the machine.

"How about you two have a match? Make it friendly now!" Futaba grimaced.

"Nope." She needed to go home and exact revenge at a later time. She just wanted to top the score. The dude had the audacity to look crestfallen. Man, now he made her feel a little bad. She rolled her eyes.

"Okay. One game. Loser buys lunch." Akira brightened up and the manager grinned before leaving them to sort it out. He smiled a little at her.

"I was planning on buying lunch either way, if you don't mind." Futaba's eyes narrowed.

"Already deciding the winner, I see." Over his widened eyes and sputtering explanation, she plopped onto the seat and set her coins on the panel. "Let's go, basement-dweller."

He blinked as he slowly sat down next to her. "I live in a house."

She didn't waver as she set in coins and loaded up the character select screen. "And houses have basements. You proved me right."

He chuckled a little. Futaba seemed cute and her temper was too. He wondered if he should go easy on her. Maybe she had a cute face underneath the mask. But she was probably prideful and would get even madder if she realized he went easy on her. Eh, decisions decisions.

He elected to do his best. And his best ended up winning. It was a sight to see Futaba get riled up during their match. Her knees drew up to her chest when Akira broke her air combo. His health bar was a couple centimeters long compared to her half until he came in clutch and pulled out a counter to stop her combo and finished her with his own. With Akira's chosen character pulling off a victory pose, he smiled over at her and was taken aback when she held out two thousand yen.

"This is…" She shook the money at him with a dull look.

"Payment for winning. This will buy your lunch." He scratched his cheek.

"You don't want to go out for lunch together?" She wrinkled her nose.

"Not really." She wanted to retreat into the safety of her home and focus on being the best security right now. During the match, she got a text from her client and a panicked voicemail saying that he received a calling card, meaning the thieves would finally strike. How they planned to get over the firewall, she didn't know. She was just preparing herself for action.

The arcade's doors opened and in ran two blondes. The rougher blonde boy quickly got Akira in a headlock.

"There you are! Time for lunch!" Akira sighed. He had been so caught up in the game that he didn't realize that his phone was currently buzzing with calls from the others. And now Ryuji and Ann were the search and rescue party. Ann smiled at Futaba.

"Your friend?" she asked, nodding to her. Futaba slinked back. There was a crowd drawing in…

Akira smiled over at her. "We've been having a little match. This is Futaba. I was asking her to join us for lunch."

Futaba looked up in a panic. Lunch with more people?! She couldn't handle that!

Ann looked between her and Akira before grinning. While she would love to be a part of all the deets, she didn't want Akira to screw up a date on their account. Ryuji ended up introducing himself to Futaba and was going on and on about the dishes he wanted to order. She pretended to think as she tapped her chin.

"Hmm, now that I think about it, the tables over at the restaurant can't really sit more than six people since it's pretty small. There's us three, Yusuke, Haru and Makoto. We can't fit Futaba at our table." Futaba beamed. Perfect! She can avoid human contact! But Ann's smile bordered on mischievous.

"So, the best course of action is to let Akira split from us and eat with Futaba! Great! I make the best plans, I know." She flipped her hair and grinned at Futaba's horrified face, not that she knew thanks to the mask. "Don't need to thank me. Let's go!"

She grabbed Ryuji and shoved him out the arcade despite his protests. Futaba uncomfortably shifted to each foot. Akira wasn't blind to it. He smiled encouragingly.

"If you feel uncomfortable as soon as you sit down, you're more than welcome to leave. I promise that I don't bite though." He winked at her. She pinked up and quickly looked down. She told herself that she would try to have a normal life now that she wouldn't rely on Sojiro like she always did. She had a damn job! She could do other adult things and outings were one of them!

Confident now, she nodded and headed out of the arcade with him. The mask and beanie were staying. She didn't want to feel so vulnerable like she already was.

The restaurant seemed nice and it smelled good. Futaba reluctantly said hello to the other three friends of his and shuffled to hide a little more. They stared questionably at her disguise, but she bit a snarky retort back. Thankfully, Akira led her away to a small table on the other side. Once she sat down, the desire to run away lifted a bit. She nodded to herself. She could probably do this. The waitress brought her water and Akira put in his order. When it came to Futaba, her mood dropped and her tongue felt like it was in a knot. She hadn't really gone to a restaurant on her own. She was comfortable ordering online and having it delivered with little to no interaction. If that was too much, she learned basic cooking to get her by and all she needed to do was go grocery shopping.

"Uh...umm...the soba with tempura..." she murmured. The waitress stared curiously for a minute at her outfit before scribbling down her order and walking off. Futaba lifted up her glass to her mouth, not knowing Akira was watching her intently. Maybe she was going to show her face. He couldn't help but be curious. Instead, she lifted the bottom of the mask and sipped before tucking it back over her chin. He almost fell off the arm he was using to prop himself up. He got up to use the bathroom, letting her know he would be gone for a minute. She nodded and waited for him to disappear behind the corner to the bathrooms. She glanced over and saw that Akira's friends were chatting amongst themselves over drinks. The waitress was in the back. Relieved, she sighed and quickly tugged her mask down. She was sweating under that thing. She had been out longer than she intended and it was getting warm. Her hair could be tangled under her beanie.

She slipped the beanie off and felt her hair cascade down her back. Leaning back in her chair, she sighed loudly again. She was going to head home right after this. She would pay for their lunch after and that's it. Hanging out was exhausting.

Akira came back sooner than she had thought, surprising her. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her, just as shocked as she was. She wanted to freak out and run. But he relaxed and came back to sit with her. He smiled charmingly.

"Nice to officially meet you, Futaba." For some reason, her stomach fluttered. She'd chalk it up to hunger, but it wasn't an unpleasant flutter. She casted her eyes elsewhere.

"Y-yeah..." He didn't seemed bothered by her response. They were silent with Futaba not knowing what to say and Akira patiently waiting for her to speak. Their meals came and Futaba quickly dug into hers. Ooh, it tasted nice. It was surprising since eating with others besides Sojiro tended to make food taste like ash in her mouth. Wait, she played games with a guy, met his friends and now she's eating lunch with him. She looked over and found Akira thoroughly enjoying his lunch. Oh God, this was a date. That meant there were more! And that meant going out more! This was going to lead to a major Bad Ending!

She banged both her knees on the table when she tried to jump off her seat, crying out in pain before flopping back on her chair. Shocked, Akira scooted his chair back and zipped over to check on her.

"Are you all right?" he asked, quickly waving his hand for his friends to remain at their table when they got up. Futaba seemed overwhelmed by too many people at once and he didn't want her to face that all.

Futaba shakily raised a thumb up before she mewled in pain and grabbed her knees. He chuckled.

"Do I make you that nervous?" he teased. She pointed a finger at him.

"Look here, you basement-dweller." He didn't seem offended, quietly listening to her. "I'm only going to be paying for lunch today. Don't be thinking I'm a girlfriend or something like that. It'll be as disappointing as a crappy sequel."

He was silent for a moment. She took it as a personal victory. Now he will never ask her out again and she can live her days as a hikikomori with a job that didn't impede her lifestyle.

"I wouldn't think it'd be that bad," he finally answered. That...was not the response she was expecting. At least not in such a serious tone. It was bold to claim such a thing when he only met her today. Well, the reverse could be said for her.

"This wasn't meant to be something as serious as a date. At least, not the type you think it is." She frowned. Okay, maybe she was overreacting a bit. Sojiro's advice about being friendly came to mind. It never hurt to be a little friendly. Not like he used that advice himself. He was a prick sometimes.

"Fine..." she murmured. She reached for her wallet. "Okay, I'll pay right now."

He held up a hand and had a not-so-guilty look on his face. "I...already paid."

Great, a goddamn debt. He seemed to read her mind.

"Just being friendly, really. You can get the next one." She raised a brow. She had more emotions towards her hurt knees than this conversation.

"Pretty cocky about seeing me again, aren't you?" He chuckled.

"I'm sure if you have to beat my high score again, won't you?" Oh, he went there. She glared at him.

"Game on." She took the rest of her lunch to go, clutching the box as she left the restaurant. Behind her, Akira returned to his friends' table. Ryuji whistled loud enough for her to hear.

"Yo, she's cute!" She gasped, reaching up to her face. She left without her mask on! That meant they all saw her! Ack, how embarrassing! She ran the rest of the way home to hide in her room.

* * *

The next night, Futaba cracked her fingers and typed away for a check on her firewall. All systems should be good to go. She also hacked into the security cameras through the CCTV system the museum used. If the Phantom Thieves showed up, she wanted to see what they would do to beat her system or try to get around it. Her client was blowing up her phone for reassurance that her system was impenetrable.

Well, unless they knocked out the power, knocked out the backup generator that was coded differently by her, knocked out the other backup generator with a different system by her, than they should be fine. She used three separate programs for each power source, one more complicated than the other. Every night, the diamond seal as well as all pieces of irreplaceable value were taken into vaults at the end of visiting hours, the seal stored in another vault inside. If they managed to get into the same room as the diamond seal, the vault would automatically be sealed if the power went out or if there was unauthorized entrance into the room. That meant a massive vault door four feet thick. The metal needed a high heat to melt it and the tools weren't exactly easy to acquire. All of this sound annoying? It was meant to.

Futaba dug into her plate of curry while monitoring all the cameras. The client was making a big speech about the history of the seal and how it had to carefully be excavated without damaging the jewels or other details. She could fall asleep with that speech.

The big party was clearing up and she saw security and museum staff sweep in to clear the floor and take the treasures to the respective vaults. Futaba eyed each screen like a hawk. Face recognition had allowed her to input all faces of staff and security meant to be there at that time and place. Anyone out of place would alert her so she can do a thorough scan.

Hours had passed after closing and human security walked from here and there on her monitor. She was starting to get really bored. She pulled out her 3DS and started playing her game. Might as well kill time doing something productive.

A quick movement caught her eye from the camera closest to the courtyard. Her attention snapped over and saw a security guard fall to the ground before being dragged out of view. Before she could look closer, the camera was shot. Not just that one, but the ones all outside were taken out. Guns. They were using guns.

Futaba quickly accessed the camera in the vault room. Nothing was touched so far. The other cameras were taken out one by one for the ones outside. Inside hadn't been touched yet. Despite her hesitance to go outside, Futaba had gone with her gut and visited the museum one day to plant two hidden cameras meant for her eyes only. She managed to get as close to the vault room as she could, planting the camera in the clearance room before anyone could go to the vault. The other was a battery powered drone. And because it was her, she made sure the cameras were equipped with audio and a receiver. It was kinda like her system for answering the door.

All of the cameras were a fuzz now except for her own. It was way smaller than the CCTV cameras and blended in with other markings of the ceiling. But she had exactly what she needed. The Phantom Thieves were still locked out thanks to her security. For added measure, she hit the button to trigger the vault doors to close. The diamond seal disappeared behind the heavy door from her camera view.

With a joystick she fashioned from an old controller, she activated her drone and set the controller between her thighs, lazily driving it around the courtyard to find the group.

It didn't take long. The group stood out like a sore thumb as they were preparing themselves to sneak in through the skylight. A bright red latex suit? A bulky skull mask? A katana? A super long scarf? Who wore a hat like that in this day and age? And a tailcoat? Futaba resisted the urge to shudder. They looked like oddballs. She could call them that because she is one.

Her drone flew down to them and was able to capture their looks of surprise. And all of them pointed their guns at her drone. Alarmed, she backed her drone up and activated the audio. Her headset was snug around her head.

"Put your guns down," she ordered, surprised that her voice didn't shake. Probably because she physically didn't have guns pointed at her. No one hesitated. They didn't trust her and vice versa. She sighed. Luckily her mic was equipped with a voice changer, her voice coming out in a weird warble to disguise it. They wouldn't take her seriously if they heard how high-pitched her voice was.

"You haven't done anything to deactivate my system. Any wrong moves and the authorities will be notified. Any damage directed to this drone will be cause for action." She mainly said that to protect an expensive drove. Tailcoat came forward, face hidden by a mask.

"Who are you?" he asked, his voice coming out in a deep range not possible by humans. The Phantom Thieves seemed to all have voice changers to conceal their voices. Smart. Futaba twisted the cap off her lemon-lime soda.

"Security," she answered. This got them all tensed up. She snorted.

"Relax. Just because I know you're here doesn't mean everyone else does. At least not yet. And you're lucky the guy in the monitoring room dozed off or something 'cause I've been watching this whole time. You all best turn back since you didn't do anything to take down any of my security systems." The skull mask stepped up with oblivious confidence.

"As if, security douche! We cut the power!" He seemed so happy with himself. He must've bought the bolt cutters himself and shut off all the switches on his own.

"And what about backup generator number one?" she countered, sipping her soda. The cocky smile slipped off his face.

"Huh?" She finished her sip and set the bottle down.

"A museum this caliber has tons of security. What, you think dungeons are normally easy? I don't see a walkthrough guide on any of you and Google is only going to get you so far to hack through my systems." Latex Suit turned to her teammates.

"They could be lying. All the power went out here." Futaba almost laughed.

"You could go ahead and break in if you don't believe me. It'll be an automatic game over and I doubt you'll get a chance to continue." The team hesitated. Tailcoat seemed like he was thinking of other things. Aged Hat looked uneasy.

"Security-san," she began formally. Futaba lifted her brows. So nice for a thief. She even bowed to her drone.

"You seem very intelligent. And I would not call you cruel since you take extra care to protect the treasures here, but you should know about one of the newest pieces brought here." Futaba twitched. The diamond seal. Katana nodded.

"Yes. There's this diamond seal-"

"The man who supposedly found it never actually found it on his own. He had a buddy with him who was the brains behind the operation. He falsely forged papers handing over the rights to the seal to himself. His partner was left ridiculed and shamed." They were shocked at how much she knew. It took them days to piece together the info and she spat it out in a minute. Skull Mask stomped his foot.

"You'd help out a guy like that?" She shrugged, not that they could see.

"Gotta make a living. I'm planning on giving up the info anyway once pay day hits." The gasps of surprise were audible. She drummed her fingers on her knees.

"I'm not some monster, you know. But I need to make a living and might as well strategically take it from some corrupted rich guy." Scarf thoughtfully rubbed her chin.

"That...allows sustainability. Though don't you find it uneasy to be living off dirty money?" Futaba twitched, setting the drone down on a ledge.

"I'm not an elite, you know. Food needs to get to my table, guilty conscience or not." They didn't say much after that. Tailcoat was still until he spoke.

"We have some other info you may not be aware of, since he doesn't know either." He must've meant her client. Everyone looked forlorn. At her silence, he continued.

"His partner tried to jump in front of a car three weeks ago when the diamond seal was announced to be displayed. Some of us happened to be there when it happened, that's why we knew about the crimes. He showed us all the evidence and we will show everything we have with you to compare. He's still recovering from road rash and a broken arm." Something in Futaba snapped. A man tried to kill himself over what her client did? Resolve hardened, she reached for her joystick.

"He's going to be revealed. You guys don't stand a chance against my security and I doubt you wanna walk in like you think this is Bowser's castle with the doors wide open." Tailcoat reached a hand out.

"Wait-" She lifted the drone off the ledge.

"Thanks for telling me." She reached for her emergency controller meant for the drone.

"Last warning to leave before security finds out the cameras have been shot." Ending with that, she grabbed the controller and pressed the red button, detonating the drone and scattering it in pieces. She took off her headphones. Whether or not they heeded her words was on them, not her. Looking at the rest of the monitors, she noticed some security radioing in backup. She shut the screen and got off her chair to get ready for bed. This wasn't her problem anymore. She flopped onto her bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

**_BREAKING NEWS:_**_ Explorer Ryo Nakashima outed as a fraud and thief. Documents revealed the discovery and method of excavation were headed by Nakashima's former associate. Fraudulent papers and coercion used by Nakashima to hand full rights to the Diamond Seal over were sent to the police and various news outlets across the country. Nakashima's former associate and rightful discoverer of the Diamond Seal was found and given all accolades rewarded to Nakashima. Aoda Sakamura is now added to the national museum's archives as one of the country's greatest explorers with decades of research and findings under his belt. _

_"I am truly grateful to have my name cleared. It feels like it's been so long since I've seen the seal. It's like reuniting with a lost child."_

_Nakashima is currently in custody facing charges of fraud, defamation and grand larceny._

Futaba watched the news with little interest while nursing a small glass of water. She never got to get her paycheck from Nakashima since she reported everything quickly. It bothered her when she heard that Sakamura threw himself in front of a car. She had been in that situation before when bullying was too much. She shook her head to keep the unpleasant memories out. She wasn't there now, she was right here. The museum took on her advanced security and paid her for the work, but not to the extent Nakashima was supposed to pay her on account of his desperation. Whatever. At least she got a paycheck and a stable income. She hopped onto the computer to check the forums, finding she was a top hit on the obscure site meant for wannabe hackers.

'Heard Alibaba's system stunted even the Phantom Thieves.'

'Think Alibaba was the one who told the cops about Nakashima?'

'Probably.'

More like yes, duh. Her email encrypted and meant for a small circle she trusted were flooded with questions. Not like she'd answer them all. It was unsaid that she had been the one to release the evidence. No one was going to get on her case about revealing it sooner. They would've done the same.

One message stood out to her from the rest. From someone named 'PT.' Someone in her circle sent her a message that they gave them her email. If she wanted to block them, that was on her. She rolled her eyes and opened the email. Her antivirus system would kick in if needed.

'Only Alibaba could make such a great security program. Thanks for exposing him like you said you would. My group and I are sorry to say that we're surprised that you kept your word. You probably didn't get what you were owed. Think we can make up for that as a thank you.' Ah, must've been from the Phantom Thieves. Must be Tailcoat? Possibly. He was probably the boss of them. She was interested enough to respond.

'You'll regret it, Tailcoat. I need three hundred thousand yen to upgrade towards my final form.' She meant her PC. Who knows if they would actually go through with it? Not like she cared too much. Sojiro didn't raise her to depend on a man. She received a reply when she came back to her computer with a plate of curry rice.

'Done. Pleasure doing business with you, Alibaba.' She checked her private account linked to Alibaba and saw that the money was added to her total. Her eyes widened. How did he manage that on her private account? Unless he knew how. Maybe she was underestimating them. But they couldn't get passed her system and that was just. Tailcoat sent her another response.

'Maybe we'll run into each other more. I'd like that.' She shuddered. She had enough with physical contact these days.

'Gross. No thanks. Shouldn't you guys be planning your next heist?' The response was immediate.

'Shame. I might be interested in stealing your heart next.' She stared blankly at the message, then at the stupid voice changing program she bought. The shit was as valuable as the few hundred yen she lazily paid for it. That's it. She needed a new voice changer program because she still sounded like a girl. Now guys were hitting on her because of her voice.

'No. Bye.' She logged off quickly to avoid another reply.

Her work this week caused her to plow through her groceries faster than normal. Now she needed to stock up her inventory if she wanted to shut herself in for a few days and play games. She was going to avoid the arcade for a bit. She wanted to not see Akira so she could take down his score in peace once she properly leveled up. He was, she'd admit, handsome, but the stress of being alive and in crowds was heavy. She could afford to see him maybe once every few days, but that was as much as she could stomach. Maybe she needed to practice playing otome games. But that would have to wait because she had more important games to play.

Wearing giant red goggles and a fancy scarf around her face, she stepped out to head to the grocery store. Time to continue on with the rest of her life.

At the store while looking for some curry mix, she heard slow footsteps approaching her. She ignored it and continued to bend over and look for her ingredients.

"Futaba?" She nearly banged her head on the shelf from straightening up so quickly. Looking up, she saw the familiar face of the basement-dweller. He was smiling like he was glad to see her.

"Hi," he greeted breathlessly. Ugh. She groaned and whacked her head against the shelf, ignoring his flustering as he tried to get her to stop.

* * *

_First chapter! Still gotta update my other stories first! Next chapter preview: _

_"I hate this route. I want to reset. I wish I never beat the arcade score the first time and baited him."_

_…_

_"Still interested in your heart, just letting you know."_

_…_

_"Hey. Are otome games this complicated?"_


	2. With a Basement-Dweller and a Tailcoat

_New chapter, new introductions, new events. Thank you so much for the follows and favorites! I love contributing to this fandom!_

* * *

Akira managed to haul her out of the store, slapping the yen for the groceries on the counter. After calming her down, wasn't sure how he managed to do that, he had her sitting on a stone bench in a quiet park. She didn't seem to like a ton of company, so he chose a secluded area. He had carried her groceries for her, setting them on her side and sitting next to her on the opposite.

He calmly waited for her to stop groaning and lamenting in her misfortune, cutting in when she slowed to a stop.

"Did I catch you at a bad time?" he asked jokingly, unsure how to make her more comfortable with him. She slanted a look at him before facing forward to an innocent tree.

"I hate this route. I want to reset. I wish I never beat the arcade score the first time and baited him." Was she talking to herself or him? And that kinda hurt if it were to him. It's not like he really did anything wrong. Did she really dislike him that much?

"H-hey..." he muttered. She looked at him again, then back to the tree.

"He's still here. What options should I use to scare him off?" She should've played a damn otome game. That was going on her list ASAP.

Akira chuckled a little. "You know I can hear you, right?"

She slouched her shoulders. "Yeah..."

He crossed his ankles and leaned back.

"Can you tell me why you're upset?" he asked, used to offering advice thanks to his friends. She cupped her chin, thinking deeply. She wasn't a guy. Maybe guys found attraction in girls differently.

"Hmm. So, you're a guy, right, basement-dweller?"

He shrugged. "Again, my name's Akira, but yes, I am a guy."

She didn't pick up the mocking tone he had. "Okay. Akira. Fine. Could you fall in love with someone just by hearing their voice? Even if it was fake?"

She listened to how her voice sounded on the program and it was awful to her ears. Maybe guys thought it was like hearing a bedroom voice.

Akira looked confused. "That's...oddly specific. What happened?"

She had to hide any fact of her being Alibaba. She whistled lightly.

"So, you can say I was chatting with some people online..." He cut her off with a smirk.

"Online, huh? You sure they were your age and you weren't getting catfished by a desperate forty-year-old?" he joked. She stomped her foot.

"_Yes_. Anyways! I've been up to here with physical contact. Now this dude online claims he's interested in stealing my heart. Who _says_ that to someone online? And I talked to them for like ten minutes!" He didn't drop that cocky smirk.

"Then you gave them an awesome ten minutes." The suggestive tone he took had her eyes narrowing.

"I don't do camming, pervert. So after I get that message, I log off and try to go grocery shopping and who do I run into?" she asked, giving him an accusatory look. He had a fairly cocky smirk on his face. "Me. Who you were so happy to see that you had to make sure you weren't dreaming."

Her disgust was apparent.

"Like hell!" she shrilled. She rolled her eyes at him. "Whatever. And this is why I don't like too much human contact. People are strange."

He grinned at her and out his hands in his pockets. "I'd like to say that online would be worse. People don't hold anything back if they can hide behind a computer screen."

She shrugged. "At least it's more honest. Too honest sometimes. Now some dude thought a fake voice is hot. Ugh. I'm going home. My groceries might die."

She turned to grab her groceries, but was stopped when he stretched his arm over them.

"You know, you still technically owe me for lunch," he pointed out playfully. She scoffed and put a hand on her hip.

"Came back to collect your debt, have you?" she hissed. He wiggled his brows once at her.

"Yes. Otherwise you have incurred further interest."

She crossed her arms over her chest and glared. "Oooh, interest now? Giving me more objectives for your own entertainment? I don't look it, but I have developed arm muscles from my interest in NPB games. So if you wanna test out how hard I hit with a baseball bat, keep incurring debt on me."

He pretended to shiver in fear. "Oh, scary. It's not like I could defend myself with this."

He reached out and flicked her forehead. She cried out and touched where he flicked her, a little ache already setting in.

"Ack! A taunt! Keep it up, cheap shot! I know moves from Alley Fighter V that you wish you could pull off in real life!" He had the nerve to gesture her to try. But before she could properly kick his ass, she was quickly pelted with rain drops. It caught Akira off guard too.

She looked up at the sky blankly, the rain already giving her a shower.

"It's...it's really raining right now? Really? Did I have affinity to misfortune today?" Beside her, Akira was scrambling to grab her groceries and bag.

"Futaba, we need to get going! My place isn't far from here!" He grabbed her hand and proceeded in the direction towards his house, but she pulled back protectively.

"Wait, whoa! I'm not going over to a guy's house! I'm not that kind of girl!" she argued. He rolled her eyes.

"Congratulations, I'm not that kind of guy. Come on!" Because she weighed about the amount of a small sack of potatoes, he gripped her arm and hauled her with him.

"Yo!" It fell on deaf ears. Giving up, she found strength in her legs and followed him.

They reached a nice-looking home not long after, but it was long enough for her to get soaked to the bone. He fished out his house key and quickly let her in with him. She was already dripping onto the welcome mat. He led her into the kitchen area and set her groceries onto the counter. She took a close look around as she waited. The house was big and the kitchen was nice. It was a little too big for one person. It wasn't really her business to ask though. He turned to her with a sheepish smile.

"One hell of a downpour. Summertime is full of rain, as usual. Let me get us some towels. And it's pretty muggy. I'll turn on the AC." A towel wouldn't do much. She shifted her weight to her other foot.

"I'm drenched." He finally took a look at her, nearly bursting out in laughter when he saw how wet she actually was.

"I can see that now. Here, I'll get you some clothes. It's a problem if clothes are too small than big in most cases." She nodded, gesturing to her groceries.

"Can I put my groceries somewhere for now?" He didn't seem to react negatively, heading upstairs.

"Sure. I might have room in the fridge if you need. Want something to eat? I'm planning on making lunch about now." She sighed deeply.

"Another debt..." she murmured. He had ears like a hawk.

"Don't count this as part of the debt," he scolded.

She turned on her heel and smiled, her first one to him. "Thank you, then."

He stopped for a solid minute, processing that she was actually smiling at him. And she looked adorable. But once he stared for too long, her expression immediately changed to defensive.

"What?!" He jolted and quickly shook his head.

"Nothing! I'll go get you some clothes." He left shortly to go change himself. She sighed and peeled off her thin jacket. Putting the clothes back on after hanging them up to dry would be uncomfortable, but she couldn't do much about it. She went to put the perishables in the fridge. She tried to take up as little space as possible, cursing herself.

_'I'm starting to owe this guy a lot! I really need to make a list on how much he's done so I can pay it back in full. Then avoid him for the next few days and exact arcade revenge!'_ While she was thoughtfully strategizing her next few days, she barely noticed Akira coming back down in new clothes with a towel around his shoulders. He appeared before her with the neat pile in his arms. She flinched, not realizing he had gotten so close without her knowing. He looked up and down at her, silently noting that she looked quite nice.

"Here's the clothes. You can throw your wet clothes with mine into the washing machine. The rain probably will last to about the evening, so you'd have plenty of time. I'll get started on lunch." She nodded and took the clothes.

"Thanks." Head down, she dipped into the bathroom to change.

It all had to come off and get washed. Her shirt, pants, scarf and even her bra sat in a heavy, wet pile on the bathroom sink. She couldn't remove her underwear, but she was fortunate that they were still dry thanks to the thickness of her pants. The shirt Akira gave her was nice and thick enough to keep her breasts unnoticed, though not like she had two melons on her chest. It didn't take long to wiggle into the black shirt and white sweatpants. With her wet pile, she followed Akira's directions to the laundry room and tossed it in with Akira's similar colored wet clothes. She threw in the necessary detergent and turned the machine on.

Returning to the kitchen, she caught a glimpse of Akira chopping up some ingredients. Above in a kitchen cabinet, she saw assortments of coffee beans. Like a mini version of the shelves in Leblanc. She didn't like standing around and doing nothing. It was awkward with someone you've recently met.

"I can make coffee for us. I noticed you had a ton of beans in your cupboard," she offered. He didn't look up from his cooking.

"That sounds great." Smiling to herself, she walked over to the cabinet behind Akira. Grabbing a bag of Blue Mountain, she went to work making the coffee like Sojiro had taught her years ago. She could smell what Akira was making, curry. It sent her back to the memories of Leblanc with the atmosphere teeming with the scent of roasting coffee and bubbling curry. Smiling warmly, she finished filling two cups with coffee and set them on the table. Akira covered the pot of curry and joined her to drink while they waited for it to finish cooking.

Taking a sip, Futaba grinned. Just like Sojiro would make it. Seemed like Akira liked it too, given the satisfied grin on his face.

"This coffee tastes really good," he complimented, smiling at her.

She shyly played with the rim of her mug. "That's because of the beans."

He propped his arm up on the table.

"Not entirely true. I was taught that the way you brew is just as important." Funny, Sojiro said that once. Akira got up to get their curry, bringing over two full plates and setting one in front of her. Her stomach growled deeply when she realized she hadn't eaten much all day. She could hear Akira chuckling lightly. Embarrassed, she quickly picked up her spoon and took in a few bites to quiet her stomach. She gasped at the familiar taste.

"Th-this curry!" she stuttered, grabbing her plate and bringing it closer to analyze it. He brightened up.

"You like it?" he asked eagerly. She nodded, sitting up on her chair with both feet on the seat.

"It tastes so familiar." He sat back, remembering the first time he tried making it.

"I learned it from someone a while ago in high school. I had to work with him as part of a rehabilitation program." Interested, she tilted her head.

"Bad kid or habits?"

He didn't seem bothered that she asked. He crossed his fingers together.

"The first one. I thought I was justified, the cops didn't. Parents couldn't handle the issue and sent me to him. After I graduated from probation and high school, I moved out here for a fresh start." She dragged her spoon along the plate, gazing at him questioningly.

"What did you do?"

He took a minute to gauge whether or not he was comfortable telling her. He had been judged and gossiped about during much of his high school years because of that particular mess and still not many people believed him when they heard. She didn't seem like the type to gossip like that, despite her not liking him too much. She liked him deep down, he was sure.

"I pushed someone I wasn't supposed to. He ended up being a top dog somewhere and spun the whole thing against me." She wasn't at all surprised. In her work, hacking against top dogs was common to unload their dirty business to the world.

"Where's he now?" she asked. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

"Running the country." The answer came off too casual, like he had rehearsed it several times to come off that way. She hummed.

"Wrong place and wrong time." Her response managed to make him smile.

"That's what my probation mentor mentioned at one point. But I'm over it now," he declared, though when she wasn't looking for a brief moment, a bitter smile reached his face before he hid it.

She gasped, realizing they had gone off on a tangent. "Wait a minute, don't throw me off! What about the curry?!"

He was shocked that she still remembered. He looked towards the kitchen and to the pot that he bought out of nostalgia.

"He trusted me enough eventually to teach it to me."

It couldn't be Sojiro. She almost laughed at the thought. Sojiro rarely trusted anybody.

Futaba hadn't lived with Sojiro during her high school days because she got a scholarship and recommendation at a tech academy. She rarely got to come home thanks to the busy schedule and costly flights to and back. When she came home after graduation, Sojiro just said that he had an interesting time. He was pretty mellowed out by then. Well, whoever taught Akira must've been to Leblanc plenty of times because no one could ever make it like this.

She bounced out of her chair with her plate. "I'll handle the dishes."

* * *

Ryuji had finally woken up at his usual afternoon time when it was his day off. A massive pile of clothes sat in his room that needed to be washed soon, so he lugged the full basket to the laundry room. Imagine his surprise when he saw clothes already spinning in the washing machine. Then he jumped back when a grey bra hit the glass for a brief second like it was a jump scare. After recovering from the initial shock, he bolted to the kitchen where Akira was putting away curry in the fridge.

"Yo, Akira!" He unknowingly dashed passed Futaba, who was looking over the library of games they had. "There's girl clothes washing in the laundry!"

"Mine." Came her voice, bored as she looked over a strange game that probably suited Ryuji's taste. Akira smirked and motioned for him to turn around. Ryuji whirled and grinned.

"Oh, Futaba! What's up?" She still didn't look up.

"The rainstorm." Her reply was fairly dry. Determined to get on her good side, he took a seat on the couch once Akira had finished putting away the leftovers.

"Yeah. Looks like we won't be going out right now. What are you guys up to?" he asked.

She barely gave him a glance. "I saw your game console. I wanted to ask if anyone wanted to play games."

He brightened and smacked his fist into his palm. "Hell yeah! I've been waiting for more people to play games with us! Yusuke refuses, Makoto sucks, Ann won't play because she chipped her nail on a button and Haru just sucks too. You game?"

Of course she did, why did he think she was bothering to look at their games? But she held her tongue.

"Yep," she replied.

Ryuji nodded hurriedly, his mind working fast to process what was going on. "Cool! Call me once you decide on a game. Hey, is that coffee? Don't mind if I have some!"

He jumped off the couch with his phone clutched in hand. Akira raised a brow at him for rushing off, but didn't say anything.

Ryuji ducked out of sight and quickly made a chat that didn't involve Akira.

'GUYS. AKIRA BROUGHT FUTABA OVER.' He typed quickly, looking over his shoulder to make sure they didn't notice. Ann was the first to reply with a threat.

'Ryuji. I swear if you say anything embarrassing to Futaba-chan about Akira, I will commit your murder.' He could hear how threatening she was. He exasperatedly typed his response.

'Why me?!' Ann's answer flew in under his.

'Because it's you, the one with zero filter!' Haru had different advice that wasn't a threat to Ryuji's life.

'Don't try too hard to put him out for her either! It would be nice if she wants to stay on her own accord!'

'I agree,' Makoto texted. 'If she requests to stay, it must not be brought on by coercion just for Akira's sake.'

When Yusuke texted next, it had nothing to do with the romance.

'Keep her away from my beloved crayfish.' He wasn't going to be home soon since he was working in the art studio. The white specter crayfishes Yusuke bought were sitting innocently in their tank and hadn't been tampered with. Ryuji rolled his eyes and pocketed his phone before returning to the couch.

It seemed like Futaba had fine tastes because she chose to play Smash bros. Ryuji hopped over the couch and snatched up a free controller.

"Get ready to lose, girl! I'll have you know that I am a certified pro!" He flexed and winked, thinking back on the days of tournaments for Smash.

"So am I," she replied simply. Online tournaments were the best.

Akira shook his head at him. "And I am too, genius. We both participated in the tournaments, Ryuji. That's probably not gonna matter here."

Ryuji shook his fist at him. "Let me intimidate her, dammit!"

She rolled her eyes and selected Inkling as her character. At once, both men stared at her for a full minute, then to her character for another. They chose to say nothing and chose their characters.

Two minutes in, Ryuji's Donkey Kong was flying off screen to his death. He screamed in frustration.

"What the fuck?! You're too good!" Inkling taunted on screen, making him more upset.

"Stop that!" he shouted. She was never that good at listening. Ryuji cursed when he realized that he had lost his last life for the match. Now it was between her and Akira on their last ones with over 130% damage on their characters. He was tensed up on the couch, feeling how competitive their aura was and scooting away. Futaba and Akira were sitting next to each other and neither attempted to move to assert their dominance.

It didn't last long until Akira dodged her attack by reversing to her other side and finished her with a charged melee attack. Her poor Inkling went flying off the screen while Akira's Mario taunted.

Akira was grinning, Ryuji was waiting with bated breath in fear of her reaction, and Futaba calmly set her controller down. Her chest was going up and down with the deep breaths she was taking.

Next thing they knew, she launched herself on top of Akira's lap and grabbed his collar in excitement. She was as threatening as a kitten. It was too funny to pass up.

"How do you keep winning?!" she demanded over his loud laughter. "Is it cheat codes?! Gameshark?! Game genie?! Are you actually a video game god?! Tell me! Teach me!"

Ryuji fled from the scene in shock. He didn't know whether or not she was trying to kill him. He fumbled to open his messenger.

'Guys. Futaba is on top of Akira.'

Ann was lightning fast once again. 'Then give them privacy! What do you wanna do, watch?!'

What the hell did this woman do when they don't meet up? Why is she always available to text?! Ryuji gagged at the message and zipped through a reply. 'No, dumbass! She wants to beat him up over video games!'

'Then don't let her and make her see what a great guy he is! Be the wingman!' Ann's response was so simple. Feral fighting girls were not his forte. He peered over his shoulder and saw a complete 180. Futaba was sitting up and Akira was showing her his moves and tactics. She was completely innocent like a child and was absorbing everything he was telling her like a sponge. Ryuji sighed heavily. This day was wearing him out.

As Akira continued to teach Futaba, he took his time to take in all her features. She was truly cute. She would pout a little when she found something hard to comprehend, but her eyes sprang with life when she realized what she needed to do. It was intimidating to see how easily she picked up the playing style and replicate it. When she wasn't annoyed with him for reasons he wasn't sure why, she was a lot of fun. He should consider trying his best to not get on her bad side, but by god was it fun.

After another hour of playing, she set the controller down and grinned to herself.

"It's actually fun to face a higher-leveled player. This is a trial of will and a time for me to go beyond my limit!" she declared. He smirked and leaned back on the couch.

"Whatever helps you. Ryuji!" he called out, the blonde barely moving from his spot on the other sofa. "You should've joined us to play."

Ryuji cringed, looking worse for wear just from watching them. "Hell no. You two are way too damn competitive for me to handle and that's normally my job. Keep me outta it."

Futaba glanced up at the clock. She had been here way longer than she anticipated. She remembered changing the laundry out and her clothes should be dry by now. A bit of a shame, Akira's clothes were comfy.

"I should get going." She didn't notice the look of disappointment on Akira's face. He cleared his throat to hide his face, then moved to turn off the game.

"You're more than welcome to stay the night," he pointed out, noticing that the rain hadn't let up. She shook her head.

"No, I've been imposing for too long. And I should go back and put my groceries away." She was pretty adamant to leave, looking more uncomfortable as she watched the clock. They couldn't stop her.

After changing and grabbing everything she needed, she smiled to her hosts.

"Thanks for having me over."

Akira didn't feel comfortable letting her go out in the rain on her own. He had his keys in hand and jingled them in the air.

"Let me drive you at least. I don't feel comfortable letting you leave out in dangerous conditions. What if a car doesn't see you walking on the crosswalk?" he wondered out loud. It was a real fear in the city. Ryuji made a face.

"I gotta agree. People don't know what the fuck they're doing, especially with rain involved. This guy here," he added, patting Akira's shoulder, "won't sleep well at night if he finds out something happened to you."

Akira went a little red and knocked his fist into Ryuji's ribs, causing the blonde to yelp. "_Yes_, I'm worried. Now please let me drive you because I need a break from this guy sometimes."

Futaba shrugged. She wouldn't say no to a free lift. Besides, carrying her groceries without an umbrella in the rain like this sounded awful.

Akira did take her in his car, the ride fairly silent as she stared out the window to admire the area soaking in rain. By the time they reached her apartment place, the rain had lessened up a tad. He offered to carry her things up to her door for her, then reached for his phone.

"Could I get your number by the way? I like hanging out with you," he added, smiling at her. She blushed and reached for her phone.

"S-sure. Just don't be surprised if I don't text or call often, alright? Sometimes my hours are strange," she said, waiting for his info. After successfully exchanging numbers, he nodded and pocketed his phone.

"Alright. I'll see you around, Futaba," he murmured, smiling at her charmingly. She fidgeted and nodded silently.

"Yeah. Thanks...Akira." His smile widened and he nodded, disappearing down the steps as he headed back to his car. She quickly went inside her apartment and flopped on her bed, blush growing and heart pounding.

* * *

With her errands done, shower taken and dinner eaten, she jumped onto her computer for her daily dose of messages and forum surfing. She was immediately greeted to an open chat from her email with the user available.

'Logged on, I see.' From PT. Tailcoat again. She needed to be like a rock.

Her reply was terse. 'Yup.'

Didn't seem to bother him much. Instead, his reply came without skipping a beat. 'I've been thinking about what I said to you earlier.'

Futaba raised a brow at this, letting her fingers convey her thoughts. 'That you didn't mean it because hitting on someone with a fake voice is the stupidest way to be attracted?'

She meant it. Who fell in love with a voice but no face to it? Tailcoat took a few seconds to respond.

'Not really. Still interested in stealing your heart. Just to let you know.' Blech, that again? She furiously wrote her threat.

'I have a baseball bat.'

If he was going to underestimate her, fine. He'll think twice after the first hit.

'Interesting way to tell someone you like them.' What a cheery reply he had. Full of fear, she was sure. She kept it going.

'My bat will like you so much. Me? Not so much.'

'I'll bother you again another day,' he replied. He didn't seem at all perturbed by her behavior. She wanted him to feel fear, dammit.

'The bat's not leaving my side, you know.'

'Of course, gotta protect yourself from the legions of guys wanting you before I swoop in to steal you away.' She gagged and stuck her tongue out at the screen before sending another reply.

'I know how to swing up too, you know,' she snapped back. She was then sent a red heart emoji in reply. This dude was seriously infuriating her. More than Akira earlier. Before she could send him a dead emoji, he logged off after sending her a kissy face.

* * *

The next few days were uneventful, to her relief. She was comfortable texting Akira on and off, but hanging out took a toll on her energy and comfort. The price to pay for trying to level up her social skills. She played some otome games here and there and wasn't surprised when she hit bad endings often. She was horrible at responding to the characters in predetermined lines. But she kept at it despite hours of losses. She hoped that it made her seem a little more charming and sensitive, but she never tried it out in person to tell.

Tonight, she chose to go out for sushi by herself. It was a treat for doing a lot more in a week than she had in a month in terms of going out and interacting with others. For sushi, she would endure going out in public. She luckily had a good job so she could splurge more so than usual on some days. Sojiro drilled into her head how she should be saving money instead of going crazy every time a paycheck rolled in. She upheld it and luckily did not have debt to her name. After the last bite of tamago nigiri, she bowed and thanked the chef before she paid and left.

The night was fair and the air was crisp and fresh. She yawned and stretched, walking along the sidewalk with a bounce in her step as she took a stroll. The city at night reminded her of the soundtracks she listened to with beats to keep her calm and concentrated during work.

"Futaba-kun, it's a surprise to see you." The voice had her whirling around in surprise. Had she been a basic bitch, she'd be squealing at the sight of handsome, popular Goro Akechi. She had a straight, blank face on as she nodded to him.

"Detective Conan." Her nickname for him had him more visibly bothered than he wanted to let show.

"You need to stop calling me that."

She stretched her arms behind her back. "And you need to stop copying him."

He put his hands on his hips and gave her a pointed look. "I do not. Anyways, want to catch up on old times?"

She quirked a brow. "We had old times?"

"Point being," he continued with an annoyed look, "as old acquaintances, I'd like to see how you've fared since the academy days."

Her gaze was slow and thoughtful. "I honestly don't remember when I met you in the academy."

He shrugged. It was expected for her to forget him. "During the digital database research course, Futaba-kun. I took a course at your academy to help me gain experience for detective work."

"I don't remember that class," she answered truthfully. There were millions of courses to be had from the academy since it was like university. Many students skipped high school because they nailed the exams in a rigorous accelerated program in order to get into the academy. Once they were in academy, they drowned in the coursework that each lasted their own separate weeks. It was hard to tell which class was which sometimes. Akechi gave her a friendly smile.

"Because you already knew everything. Anyway, that's where we met. Would you like coffee?" he asked, motioning towards the coffee shop nearby. She sighed. More conversations with people, but at least coffee was involved.

"Fine."

* * *

It wasn't horrible, she could say. Akechi was telling her all about his new job as a rookie detective and the mentor he had. She made sure to take extra care that he had no leads to her being Alibaba or he would start asking for favors on his cases with her identity as blackmail. He was impressed with her security system for the museum and praised her for keeping the Phantom Thieves out of one job. It was no secret that he disapproved of their methods, even though he understood their frustrations. He knew she supported them, but was comfortable enough to try and reason with her with his stance.

During their second cup, Akechi glanced out the window to check out the city view. His mood tensed when he saw flashes of movement on the building across from them. He stood up quickly, surprising her out of her sip.

"Futaba-kun." He sounded very firm and clear. Confused, her eyes widened.

"What?" she asked, setting her mug down. He pointed to the building.

"I just saw something move over that building over there." He seemed so sure that it frightened her a little.

"You sure you weren't seeing things?" she asked, trying to peer over where he was looking. He shook his head.

"No, I'm sure it's-" Realizing something, he bolted out of his seat, rattling their cups. He grabbed his coat and proceeded to run out of the cafe. "Call the police and have them meet in the Sanko nightclub! Tell them the Phantom Thieves are coming for the Silver Drop!"

With her head whirling, she barely had time to leave the money on the table before she went after him. Outside, she nearly lost him in the crowd of people if she hadn't started running ahead of time.

"Conan! What are you thinking going after them alone?! They'll pick on you because you're scrawny!" She chased after him, cursing herself for not making a better effort to exercise.

She managed to push through the crowd and followed Akechi to a busy building. When she got through the large door he went through, her blood chilled. She made a huge mistake.

She had gone into the nightclub. The club was packed with people and the music caused an eerie rattling in her head. Despite resisting, she was being pulled into the crowd when people pushed into her in their attempts to dance.

"So...so much people..." she wheezed. Air wasn't reaching her lungs. Everyone was in her space and stealing the oxygen around her. She was being squished by the large number of bodies bumping to the music of the club. The music itself was pounding her head and the bass thumped her heart uncomfortably. It felt like she couldn't breathe. She could barely see Akechi waving at her with the neon lights obstructing her view and forcing her to squint.

"Futaba-kun?! Over here!" She couldn't hear him well. Her legs trembled under her weight, giving in and nearly collapsing her had it not been for the strong arms wrapping around her waist.

"Come with me," said a steady, deep voice in her ear before she was lifted into their arms. Barely able to process the voice, she gasped as she was whisked away from the crowd. Her surroundings quickly changed as whoever carrying her took her out of the club, passing into several alleyways and into the evening of outside. She was pulled into a dark, quieter room with the stranger. The door was quickly locked before she was set on her feet, leaning against the nearest wall. The club music could still be heard, but her heart and breathing were coming back to normal. The relief can be heard from her as she took long, audible breaths. She took a second to look around. It was too dark to see clearly, but at least some moonlight was streaming in from the window.

"Feel better?" the stranger asked, mildly concerned. She nearly gasped, recognizing the voice immediately. Tailcoat. She could finally trace out his silhouette in the light.

"I...yeah, thanks." She couldn't let him notice that she recognized him. She couldn't see a damn thing anyway.

"You should leave through the left door and down the stairwell. It's safer and less populated. Go quickly." Before Tailcoat could leave, she quickly jumped to stop him.

"Why did you help me?" she asked firmly. She needed to know if he knew she was Alibaba. It wouldn't be good for her since she'd have to keep quiet around Akechi for more than one reason. Tailcoat didn't waste another minute to answer her.

"Because you looked like you needed it," he replied simply like it was the obvious answer. "Careful not to get caught up with us often. I don't want you to get hurt."

He turned to leave again, but his phone went off in his pocket. She spotted a small Bluetooth in his ear when he answered the call.

"Yeah, I'm here. I was helping someone out." He faced her, but it was too dark that she couldn't see him. "I got him off my tail."

Futaba slowly reached for her phone, the screen lighting up when she pressed her finger to the fingerprint scanner.

_'If I'm not calling the police to catch the Phantom Thieves, I'm at least doing it for stupid Akechi's sake to make sure he's safe,'_ she thought. Akechi could easily be beaten up by these guys. But before she could reach her dial pad, her phone was snatched by Tailcoat.

"Hey!" She tried reaching for her phone, but Tailcoat easily had an extra foot above her as he held her phone out of reach and continued talking into his Bluetooth.

"I'll meet up with you guys shortly. Make sure he gets taken care of with the least amount of force possible." He nodded and shut the Bluetooth off. She huffed and stomped her foot.

"You're lucky it's so dark that I can barely see! Gimme back my phone! My...friend is in trouble." She faltered a bit with what she should be calling Akechi.

He could be heard chuckling in that gravelly voice the voice changer gave him. "Why did you hesitate when you said 'friend?'"

She rolled her eyes, trying to go for her phone again.

"None of your business!" she shouted, annoyed when she felt a hand holding her back by pressing down on her head.

"You dating him?" It sounded forced out, but Futaba was too busy gagging at the thought of her and Akechi together.

"Eww, no. I barely remembered where we met. But he's in trouble too!" she shouted, mainly saying that to remind herself that Akechi needed help.

"He's nosy," Tailcoat pointed out in an annoyed tone. She rolled her eyes because it was true.

"Yeah he is, but still! He doesn't deserve to die!" she said heatedly. He held up his hands in surrender.

"Whoa, what sort of guy do you think I am? I wouldn't just kill a guy for following me." He seemed sincere with that statement, but she figured that a renowned thief would be a capable liar.

"I wouldn't know what to think, with you taking a girl like me into a room this dark where I can't identify you." She suddenly stiffened when he fell quiet. Had she said something to piss him off? Would she die instead? While her mind was racing, she felt him grasp her chin and tilt her head up. With the minimal moonlight, she could still barely make out his face.

"I'm not evil." His voice was gentle and firm with conviction. She didn't really think they were, but she was scared of them nonetheless because of their capabilities. "I can tell that you believe that deep down. I promise nothing will happen to your friend, but you need to leave. You don't deserve to get held up by the police and have them try to pin you for something you weren't a part of."

He sounded bitter when he said that. He must have been scorned at one point by the justice system. The Thieves had once mentioned that many of their exploits were done out of being slighted by the corrupted who skirted under the law. Yet the law either didn't punish the correct culprits due to scapegoats or never thought that the corrupted were capable of the crimes. Bribery was said to be involved in some cases. He took a minute to calm down, then reached out and touched her shoulder.

"Go home, Futaba." She jolted. She never said her name to him.

"You know my name?" she asked, feeling uneasy. His laugh didn't do much to calm her nerves.

"His high-pitched voice told the whole club your name." Whatever pity she felt for Akechi died and fell into the abyss. She hated getting attention like that.

"Change of plans. I'll kill him myself." Tailcoat chuckled to himself, tightening his red gloves around his hands. She probably couldn't see well, but he was fairly accustomed to seeing in the dark thanks to his line of work. Kissing the tips of his index and middle finger, he then reached them out and pressed them against her lips.

"You do that." Without another word, he disappeared out of the window. She stood there dumbfounded. Were those his fingers? Why would he do that? What a weirdo. Shaking her head, she followed his advice and walked out of the door. Finding the stairwell like he told her, she proceeded down to the sidewalk. The club was still close by and she wasn't exactly lost either.

She dusted herself off and started down the path to the nearest subway line. She should really get going as some cop cars were coming to the club. It was already super packed and she didn't want to get sucked into the crowd. As she passed by the alleyway, a familiar figure caught her eye closest to the club building. To her surprise, Akechi was splayed out ungracefully on several black garbage bags. He did not look all too happy. In fact, he was looking like he wondered where he went wrong in life. Sojiro had that look before. She skipped up to him and peered down.

"Oh look, I didn't have to go far to find you." He simply nodded to her and acted as if he weren't laying in garbage.

"Glad to see you safe, Futaba-kun." She nodded and put her hands on her hips.

"I was about to kill you for shouting my name like that in the club, but you looking so pathetic is satisfying enough."

He closed his eyes slowly. "I'm glad I've entertained you."

She gave him a snarky grin and knelt down. "Leave the fieldwork to the professionals, Conan. Isn't that what you say to people supporting the Phantom Thieves?"

"..." His silence was a sweet victory to her. She straightened up and tucked her hands behind her back.

"Like in database research class, I'm always right. Get up or be inflicted by trash poison for three days." She'd offer a hand, but it was his fault for taking off like that earlier. He hoisted himself up and sighed.

"They threw me in here out of the first floor window." She shrugged.

"I didn't ask, but thanks for giving me more reason to make fun of you." He shook his head and scratched his scalp to pull him out of the dizziness the scarfed figure threw him through. He glanced towards her.

"Need me to ask the police to escort you home?" he asked, gesturing to the squad cars nearby. She shook her head. She didn't want to get caught up in business that had nothing to do with her.

"Nope. Later, Conan." He waved at her and she took off. He limped over to the officers to let them know what he saw. Unfortunately, not much. The Phantom Thieves strike again with the Silver Drop stolen.

Later that week, Kisa Amaguri was exposed for the drugging and murder of the previous owner of the famed Silver Drop a decade ago. Her under-the-table prostitution ring using high school students brought on another slew of controversy and charges.

* * *

Futaba was in the middle of failing another otome game route she had been working on in the last three days. She sighed as her character got dumped and cried over ice cream. Her network notified her that Akira had logged in online, but she ignored it. She had to restart her game again. Maybe she should sport being more sensitive and less nosy in this play through.

Her phone rang noisily on the seat next to her. Looks like Akira was calling her. She picked up while inputting in a new name for her character.

"Playing games. Busy," she answered shortly, debating whether or not she'd go for a tsundere or a yandere for a romance. Maybe yandere was easier. They were already in love with you. All she had to do was not get killed.

Akira chuckled over the line. "Are you? You seem more stressed out about it. What sort of game?"

"Otome. Figured my dating and conversation skills need work," she replied. "I've gotten bad endings in every playthrough I've done."

She hummed a little. Akira was good-looking. Maybe he knew more about dating than she did. "Hey. Are otome games this complicated? And is real life dating just as bad?"

He sputtered a little, not sure how to exactly answer her. "They aren't my thing really. And I've never had a serious girlfriend. Want to play Smash instead?"

She sighed, saving the little progress she made. "Yeah. Let's."

"At my house?" he added, smiling slyly over at his end. She was a little surprised when she realized that she didn't have a problem with it.

"Ah, sure. I'll head over there." It was strange, she thought as she picked up her bag. She felt sort of happy to be going to him. Weird. Her heart would flutter and her face would warm up. Maybe this was the feeling girls got in otome games.

Whatever, she decided as she shook her head. She needed to kick his ass in Smash.

* * *

_"Hey, Akira's heading there too! And he has a car! You two should totally go together and save yourself the money!"_

_..._

_"Don't think I didn't see how you looked at her."_

_..._

_"You remind me of someone I met, but I never got to see her face."_

_"Don't talk about another girl if you're on this sham of a date with me."_

_"Not at all. You've got all my attention tonight."_


	3. More Complicated than an Otome Game

_**My summer vacation is over...**_

* * *

Futaba was having more fun than she thought she would these days. Hanging out with Akira meant being near his friends more. He had a whole group of them and she had hid behind him a couple times when it came time to greet them. They were all really friendly with her. She was blunt from the jump, but everyone seemed to take it in stride except for Yusuke. His way of talking was eccentric and she would cut through it like a knife, which infuriated him. But she enjoyed spending time with them. They were great people and she needed that more in her life considering her wretched childhood of bratty kids and bullies. Going out with them involved group activities in places Futaba yearned to go, but was too nervous to do herself.

They had all gone out to Destinyland together and Futaba sat quietly in the back of the van they were using with Haru.

"Have you been to Destinyland, Futaba-chan?" Haru asked excitedly. Futaba shook her head.

"Too much people," she muttered, clenching her fists on her pants. This was the first time she was going somewhere so congested with people and she didn't have her mask on. People could look at her. But Akira said she'd be okay and offered to be by her side no matter what. Haru nodded understandingly.

"No one here blames you. The crowd can be quite fierce. That's why we're sticking together!" she announced out loud. Ryuji turned around and got on his knees to stand over them.

"Yeah! Stay together as a group!" he repeated from their rules earlier. Makoto, who was driving, scowled in the rear view mirror.

"Ryuji, sit down and put your seatbelt on before I turn this car around!" she ordered. Ryuji quickly turned and sat down, grumbling as he clicked his seatbelt on. "Yes, mom..."

Ann smiled back at Futaba. "I promise it'll be fun! We can get so much to eat too! Do you like sweets?"

Futaba smiled a little. "Yeah..."

Ann looked like she struck gold. "Perfect! Extra large crepes and sundaes are where we're going first!"

Haru gasped. "But I thought we were going to go to the castle first and check into the hotel!"

Ann turned to her, eyes slightly crazed. "Sweets. First. I don't care if we end up sleeping outside!"

Ryuji scoffed at her. "You psycho! We'll get your fucking crepes after we make sure we have a place to stay, you fucking glutton."

She glared at him and batted her arm to attack him, which he fended off fiercely. Yusuke ignored them and slicked his hair back.

"I was promised we would all attend the aquarium for my inspiration." He glared at anyone who dared to think his idea was stupid. Ryuji took the chance, grimacing at the other man.

"You mean buying those crayfish weren't enough?" he asked, noting the crayfish taking up space with their aquarium tank.

Yusuke huffed haughtily and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Of course not. A wonderful piece needs more than one muse sometimes."

Makoto waved her hand to calm everyone down. "We'll do everything on our list, I'm sure. But please keep our needs a priority. We need a place to stay first, then we can get plenty to eat."

Ann perked back up and held up a tote bag, eyes sparkling.

"And to make sure we don't get lost, I had a designer make us these great shirts-" Ryuji immediately cut her off, already having seen the atrocities inside. All the shirts had whatever number and 'out of seven' printed on it to show how many people were in the group.

"Oh hell no. I am not putting on your cheesy crap. We have phones and can call each other!" he shouted, pulling out his own and waving it around. Haru nodded in the back.

"And we all have our park buddies! It'll be fine!" she assured. Ann grumbled, but seemed to agree, sitting back in her seat.

"If the crowds get dense, hold hands. Remember that!" she reminded them. While the rest of the group was agreeing, Ryuji disgustedly scoffed. Yusuke was his park buddy and he did not want to hold hands because he'd be dragged around until his shoes were shredded.

"Are we eight years old here?!" he shouted angrily. Ann glared at him through her mirror.

"Mentally you are!" she snapped.

"Your diet is!" he shot back viciously.

Futaba watched as they argued, then looked out her window nervously. Could she really do this? The crowds were already freaking her out and she couldn't even see them yet. The club was terrible, but mainly because she felt canned in. Destinyland was probably bad, but at least she had air. Akira glanced back at her worryingly. He had told her she'd be okay, but he could still sense the doubt. He would work extra hard to make sure she was comfortable. He just had to see to it that she acted like herself. Usually that meant upsetting her in some way at his expense. He honestly wouldn't mind that as long as she was able to smile.

* * *

Futaba was in a whirlwind of confusion when she was pulled into the hotel lobby. Haru was rich and used her lifetime pass at Destinyland for free lodgings, buying up hotel rooms and handing everyone their room keys. They even had fancy-looking hoteliers take their luggage up to their rooms for them while the group took to the park. Futaba ended up sticking close to Akira, still shy and uneasy. He didn't mind though, at least he didn't show in her eyes.

Futaba had way more fun than she thought she would, plowing through desserts with Ann, scaring Yusuke in the haunted maze, screaming at the top of her lungs on a rollercoaster, and now buying a cute pair of dog ears in the souvenir shop. She turned to Akira with the ears flopped in the front.

"How does it look?" she asked, face bright with joy.

Akira smiled and put his thumb up. "Perfect."

She grinned and turned when Ann asked for her attention, suddenly picking up what he said next.

"Oh, did you mean to ask for the ears because they don't look bad either." She froze. Did he really say that?! Turning back to him, she was met with a cocky smile before he had turned away.

Ann was internally squealing. Akira was turning up the charm! Just like she threatened him to do! Clearing her throat, she put on a surprised face.

"Oh, are you two having a thing now?" she asked teasingly. Immediately, Haru perked up from looking at souvenir bags. Makoto stopped midway from picking up a shirt. All three crowded around Futaba with eager smiles.

"We can totally leave you guys alone if that's what you need!" Haru piped up helpfully. Like the older sister of the group, Makoto nodded understandingly.

"Very true. A little alone time can build many bridges," she replied wisely. Futaba shifted uncomfortably.

"It's not like that between us," she muttered, sighing. "But I don't mind it when we end up alone together, which happens a lot when I go to his house to play games. One time, we were trying to beat a dungeon together and I ended up falling asleep on the couch when it was his turn. I've never done that before. I've never fallen asleep around other people because I don't like feeling vulnerable. But it's fine if it's him."

The girls were giving each other sideways glances and grinning to themselves. This was too good and cute. They needed to make sure Akira and Futaba had plenty of time together.

Futaba looked disgusted with herself. "I'm clingy. That makes me clingy, right?"

Ann waved her off dismissively. "Nope, not at all! It's totally natural to want to be near the person you like."

Her encouragement didn't seem to put Futaba at ease. She scoffed and put her hands on her hips. "That's gross. Really gross. I feel funny in my stomach."

Haru put her hands together in hope. "That funny feeling can be butterflies from thinking about him! That comes with the territory of love."

Futaba groaned. "Real-life dating is harder than otome games after all..."

* * *

The group was getting more tired as the day became evening. The rides and rush from earlier were crashing down, more so for Futaba and Ann as their sugar meters were running low from indulging too fast and too much. But Ann still had enough brain power to think of one last ride to do for the perfect end to the day. Her eyes sparkled and her hands were clasped together against her cheek as she gazed up at the ride.

"The Ferris Wheel! Destinyland has one of the longest rides in the world! Twenty minutes of great views and romantic atmosphere!" she shouted, eyes dreamy with possibilities.

Ryuji wrinkled his nose. "Why would we want that? It's not like-"

He was given a sharp elbow from Makoto, who pointed over at Futaba and Akira. The two weren't listening, too busy dealing with Futaba's groaning of how tired she was with Akira physically supporting her. Ryuji's mouth fell open.

"Oh, right. Wait, do we all have to go?! Why me?!" he shouted, stomping his foot towards Ann.

The girly blonde bristled. "If we all don't go, then Futaba will use it as an excuse not to! Just eat a snack while you wait!"

Ryuji pointed an accusing finger at her. "You ate _all_ the snacks!"

Yusuke swooped in and grabbed Ryuji's shoulders, a hard look on his face. "We must ride the Ferris Wheel, Ryuji. There's so much inspiration to be had."

Ryuji wrenched himself out of his hold.

"Go yourself!" he snapped.

Yusuke grabbed him back, face turning dim. "You're my promised park buddy."

Ryuji groaned, cursing his luck. Why was he always stuck with Yusuke?

Haru grabbed Makoto and Ann's shoulders, shaking violently and pointing towards the entrance of the ride.

"We should act quickly! Futaba and Akira have already gotten in one!" she called out. As she said, the two were already being checked into their own gondola. Akira gave them a salute before he followed Futaba in.

Ann's jaw dropped. "When'd they-? Come on!"

She shook out of her shock and hugged the girls' arms to herself before charging towards the Ferris wheel. Ryuji was dragged by Yusuke to follow.

* * *

In their gondola, Futaba watched as more passengers were loaded onto the ride before the rotations began. She snuck a peek of over to Akira, who was looking out and smirking when he saw Ryuji's suffering face enter a gondola with Yusuke. He'd get an earful about that later. Futaba curled into a ball and sighed deeply. The rush of the rollercoasters and spinning of teacups stayed in the past of today and she was glad for it. Her body couldn't take any more and her energy level had depleted. It felt sort of nice to be alone with Akira who wouldn't ask her a million questions like his friends did. While they were nice, she just didn't like super socializing. Life simulation games typically had a social need with their characters, but Futaba's was practically nonexistent in real life. But what about romance? Her heart still raced when Akira was around, which hadn't happened before. Their interactions and banter were the same as always, but she found herself wanting more time with him. She looked forward to going to his home and playing together. They would cook for each other and share stories. When she fell asleep that one time, he placed a blanket on her and continued on with the game. He never made her feel awkward for falling asleep, but she was so embarrassed. She smiled gently and hid it behind her knees.

"I like being like this. It makes me feel calmer," she murmured. He perked up at the sound of her voice. He stared at her quizzically.

"In a Ferris Wheel ride?" he asked, unsure what she meant.

She shook her head and stretched her legs out. "I'm not telling. You'd make fun of me for it."

He looked surprised and a tiny bit upset. "No I won't."

He sighed when Futaba closed up and stared out her window. He couldn't get this girl sometimes. And yet he still feels smitten when she's around. If only she would open up more. He should feel accomplished though, she was warming up to him in a way that made him no longer regret approaching her that day at the arcade.

"This ride feels like it was made for couples," she muttered. His heart gave a start. He was smiling in spite of telling himself that he shouldn't get his hopes up.

"Yeah, I see it," he agreed.

She shot him a warning look that was less intense than the ones she gave him before. "Why are you smiling like that, basement-dweller?"

He was growing fond of that nickname. "Maybe I want something," he mentioned vaguely.

To his utter surprise, she smirked back.

"Maybe you'll get it once a few more days pass if you're good," she replied, just as vague. He nearly fell out of his seat.

"Wait wait wait," he repeated, slowing down and trying to process what she had said. Hope was springing and it was hard to stay suave if he was this excited.

"A-are you serious?" he asked slowly.

She simply gave him an innocent smile. "Serious about what? I honestly don't know what you're talking about."

She wasn't exactly lying. If he was being vague, then she was too. It threw him off his game and made her smile. Now if she was thinking what he wanted was true, that was going to be something. Oddly enough, she didn't think she minded. But commitment was scary. What if she didn't live up to expectations and she got dumped in record time? That thought alone made her feel down. She...she shouldn't have said anything. Looking back at Akira, her heart jumped when he was smiling a little more dreamily than he normally did when he teased her.

When the ride was over, she was led out by the hand by Akira and the two waited for the others to exit their gondolas. It felt like everyone had been hit by a speed-down because movements felt slow and heavy. She was exhausted too. Hanging out was one thing, but they were constantly moving around the park. She had never put so much energy into one day before. Her body needed rest. A magic flute wouldn't be useful in waking her up. Akira cursed loudly and caught her when he saw her nearly fall onto the cobble street. It gave everyone an adrenaline shock from the dreary attitude they had before. He shifted to pick her up like a princess, smiling a little as she murmured sleepily.

"Let's hurry back to the hotel. I feel like falling asleep too," he decided. No one could argue because they were too tired to talk.

* * *

Futaba woke in the middle of the night on a comfy bed. Groggy and thirsty, she slowly sat up and tried to shake the sleep out of her head. She was in the hotel room the girls were sharing. All the girls were sleeping heavily like they were under a spell. She just wanted her water so she could fall back in the spell herself. With a bottle from the fridge, she went through her phone when she noticed a few notifications on it. She had sleepily given consent for the girls to change her into pajamas. That sounded like her. Free breakfast at 5:30 AM. Hell no, too tired. Akira carried her back to the hotel. If she wasn't any more tired than she was, she'd freak out at the news. Not enough energy to do that.

Finishing her water, she tossed the bottle into the trash bag and fell into the sweet embrace of the bed again.

Sometime later, she could hear the sounds of rustling as the other girls got out of bed. Maybe they were going to breakfast. But she was too tired to check what time it was. Instead, she went back to dreaming of her inevitable triumph over Akira in Smash.

* * *

With their trip over, Futaba was dropped off at her home with her dog ears on and her luggage. She headed up with Akira who volunteered to bring her luggage to her apartment.

"Destinyland was a lot of fun," she stated, stretching her arms. "Now back to our regularly scheduled routine and ongoing series of Futaba's Revenge Against Akira!"

He smirked at her. "Who knows if she'll ever get her revenge when her series will renew for 4 more seasons?"

Her jaw dropped in offense. "Ugh! You're on! The series is going to get canceled when Akira is found begging for forgiveness after a humiliating defeat!"

He ruffled her hair playfully and dropped off her luggage at the door. Feeling brave, he gently leaned down and pressed his lips against her cheek. stopped working and blue screened.

He pulled away and smiled. "Take care, Futaba."

Her eyes were wide and unresponsive. Akira nonchalantly took her key and unlocked her door. Ushering her and her luggage inside, he set the key on her counter. He patted her head before quietly shutting her door and leaving with a satisfied smirk on his face. By the time she restarted and came to, she threw herself into bed and groaned. His charm stats overpowered hers by a mile.

* * *

Days had gone by once again before Futaba gave herself a few days off from work. Being a freelance programmer gave her plenty of perks including working from home unless the museum needed her. As long as she did her work and kept security tight, she could come and go as long as she could still work a few hours on her vacation for maintenance.

Futaba chewed haphazardly on her fingernails as she scanned the various ticket choices on the kiosk for the subway. She needed one to Yongen-Jaya and she was not looking forward to cramming into a metal tube with swarms of people taking her oxygen. The club was way worse though and Destinyland wasn't as bad. At least people weren't dancing and pushing her into the crowd. But the subways were a hubbub for perverts. It's alright though, she had a little switch blade that she could shank someone Assassin's Creed style if she so desperately needed to without cutting off her own finger for it.

That didn't mean she was looking forward to it though.

It's been almost a month since she visited Sojiro. That was the only reason why she was willing to go. She could indulge in free curry and coffee, though she was definitely going to give him some money to help out. She did make a promise to herself on a promise list that she would provide for Sojiro like she had done for him.

Behind her, footsteps closed in and she nervously kept to herself. Maybe the people would go around her.

"Futaba-chan?" called out a familiar voice. Recognizing it, she immediately turned around and saw Ann, Makoto and Haru.

"Oh. Hi," she greeted, smiling a little at them. Ann giggled.

"Hi yourself! It's nice to see you. Heading out for the day?" Ann asked, giving her a quick hug. Futaba nodded slowly.

"Yeah. Have things to do." She didn't want to say much. She just didn't like people knowing her business. Ann didn't seem to be bothered.

"Same here. We're heading to our jobs right now. Had to pick up some extra shifts," she explained, sighing at the photo shoot she needed to do. Modeling was tough when it was out of necessity. Haru nodded nervously. She honestly couldn't relate. She was rich, but she was working extra out of guilt because her friends were doing it. Her independent branch of flower businesses was flourishing.

"We were a little careless with money some time ago," she added. Makoto slanted a look in her direction.

"Says 'we.' I got dragged into it," Makoto sighed. She shrugged a little. "But I did agree to attain my share."

Futaba frowned. "Sad face. I should see you guys around then, huh?"

Ann nodded earnestly. "Yup! By the way, where are you headed?" she asked, noticing her luggage.

Futaba shifted her luggage so it was next to her. "...Yongen-Jaya."

At the name of the familiar district, Ann excitedly grasped her hands together.

"Hey, Akira's heading there too! And he has a car! You two should totally go together and save yourself the money!" she suggested, though it was less of a suggestion and more of a demand. Futaba wildly tried to oppose.

"No!" she cried, but curse the temptations of frugality! "...ugh. That actually might be a good idea. Wait."

The color drained from her face. "I have to call him now, don't I?"

Ann seemed way too happy with herself. "That's what you do when you need to talk to someone! Need his number?"

Makoto shook her head and moved in to help the overwhelmed Futaba.

"Ann, of course she has his number already." The chatroom they included her in was proof of that. Though she did hear from Akira about the story where they exchanged numbers. The way she said it sounded teasing.

Futaba shook her head, catching onto the ideas brewing in their heads. "It's not what you guys think!"

"What is it that we think?" all three asked in unison. Futaba felt chills run down her spine. She had seen this before in a horror game. This was a _fantastic_ day for a curse.

"Were...were you three triplets at some point?" she asked nervously. Their laughs in response were even more unsettling. She should probably jump on the next train to avoid this. Ann waved her hand encouragingly.

"Give him a call, Futaba-chan~," she sang. Futaba groaned, taking out her phone. She turned her back to avoid their eager stares. She took a deep breath. Calling Akira was normally meant to ask him if he was up for playing games. This was the first time it was for a true favor. They hadn't really talked about him kissing her cheek either. She couldn't out of embarrassment. She just kept things as normal as possible between them since she did value their friendship.

He picked up quickly, which was normal for him.

She sighed deeply. "Y-yo..."

"Futaba!" he answered back joyfully. Too joyful. She resolved to hang up.

"Nuh uh, I can't." Mind made up, she swiped off. The other girls were worried. Had she blown her chance for love?! Or something dramatic like that.

As soon as she had hung up, Akira called back. She groaned. It was just like him not to let something go. She answered bitterly.

"Why did you have to call back?" she whined.

He chuckled. _"I got worried. Is everything okay?" _he asked, partially concerned.

She sighed. "Yeah. I just had a favor to ask. Are you heading to Yongen-Jaya right now?" she asked, hoping it was a yes so she could sweep everything under the rug.

He paused for a minute before answering. _"Ah, not just yet. I needed to pack since I plan on staying there for a while. Why do you ask?"_

She glanced back, flinching when she saw Ann looking the most eager out of the group. She ignored her and cleared her throat.

"I was wondering if you'd take a hitchhiker," she whispered. He seemed to take it in stride.

_"You want to come with? Sure! I can't come pick you up right now though..."_ He paused for a moment and she could here shuffling in the background. It was hard to hear when the trains kept screeching in the tunnels. She was more than eager to leave this underground mess.

"Sure. I'll walk." She nodded to the girls and turned to leave, stopped when Akira spoke firmly.

_"...no. I don't feel comfortable making you walk from the train station. I can hear it, by the way_," he added as another train squeaked to a stop. _"Stick around and I'll come and get you."_

She pouted a little. She really didn't mind the walk, but he seemed insistent. "Oh, okay..."

"I was seriously going to murder him if he said she should walk to his place," Ann muttered, dissolving her plans to get rid of her frizzy haired friend. The others didn't disagree. The girls waved at her like proud moms before they hurried onto the train for work. Fingers crossed that Akira didn't screw it up. Haru has an axe to grind and Ann learned the strangle hold.

* * *

Futaba hated waiting games the most, she remembered as she waited by the street near the entrance of the subway. It made her think unnecessary thoughts and left her feeling miserable with endless possibilities that didn't work out in her favor. She was getting a ride from Akira, but did that mean she had to go home with him too? And Yongen-Jaya was at least two hours away with this ridiculous traffic. What did she get herself into? Why did she listen to Ann when she could've easily been on a train right now?

But between being crammed into a train like sardines and deal with stabbing perverts left and right, she did prefer to spend time with someone she knew and liked better than the average citizen in this noisy city.

A familiar black Mitsubishi pulled up next to her, pulling her out of her thoughts. The passenger window rolled down and Akira leaned over into view.

"Hey," he greeted, smiling warmly.

She awkwardly waved. "Hi."

Setting the car to park, he quickly emerged and took her luggage. "Come on."

He ushered her into the passenger seat, setting her suitcase in the trunk before he returned to the driver's seat.

Setting off again, he turned to her and grinned.

"So Yongen-Jaya for you too, huh? Any particular reason why?" he asked.

She decided to keep it vague. Last thing she wanted was for him to go with her to see Sojiro. Her stepdad would very likely get the wrong idea and drive Akira out with a broom and a shotgun.

"I'm there to see someone," she replied, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Same. And to pick up on some work," he added, sounding tired at the last remark.

Futaba raised a brow. "Is it because of wasting money? All of your friends seem to be on the same boat about that."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Yeah, about that. We kinda splurged more than we should've when we had to pool together money for something. Now we end up with the debt."

Yet they also went to an expensive theme park on top of that?

"Didn't you guys put yourself in more debt by going to Destinyland?" she asked bluntly. He held up a hand in defense.

"That was an absolute necessity. We wanted to make you feel like part of the group." Well, that was sweet, but not a financially smart decision. She remembered Ryuji mentioning extra training sessions with the track students at Shujin Academy and he wasn't excited about it. Yusuke had moaned about tutoring art students too. Was what they pooled for that expensive? Then again, if the Phantom Thieves hadn't bought her needed upgrades for her PC, she would be crying too over the cost.

She smiled. "Well, I'm grateful. You didn't have to do something that expensive to make me feel welcome, you know. You guys easily could've thrown a pizza party with games and I would've enjoyed that just as much."

Akira scoffed. "Casual outings, yes. But this was the first serious event we wanted to have with you."

Fair enough. If they were willing to spend the amount, she wasn't in a place to scold them about it. She spent her money on games and curry ingredients. Then there was that drone she detonated without a second thought that night she met the Phantom Thieves. Replacing that took some time and money out of her pocket.

They pulled up to Akira's place and he quickly got out of the car. "Sorry, need to finish packing!" he said, opening the car door for her.

He raced back inside and left her standing in his living room. She wasn't going to just waltz into his room like she owned the place. That was beyond rude. Besides, the living room was where she was more comfortable in. She could describe every detail of the room given how many times she came here. The kitchen was nice and cozy too. She never told Akira, but this place felt like a third home besides her apartment and Sojiro's house. If she mentioned it, he'd probably joke about her paying rent with Ryuji and Yusuke buttering her up to contribute and move in. She liked her place where no one could watch her while she failed another otome route.

When he came back down with two suitcases, she stood in shock when she noticed one of them was padlocked. It didn't look like a casual one either.

"Uh, origin story?" she prompted, pointing to it. He looked down for a second, then winked at her.

"Habit. That delinquent side of me being overprotective of his stuff." At his explanation, she shrugged. Portable treasure chests were convenient. Unless someone walked around with a lockpick, they probably weren't going to open up the suitcase.

He loaded his luggage in next to hers before starting the car again. She diligently put on her seatbelt and resumed staring out the window again. Curry at Leblanc sounded like heaven. She'd probably eat two plates with a mug of cappuccino. She just missed the coffee and curry that Sojiro made.

While she was lost in thought, Akira reached over to turn on the radio.

_I'm a shape-shifter_

_At Poe's masquerade_

_Hiding both face and mind_

_All free for you to draw. _

She stopped her train of thought, zeroing in on the song. Wow, she must've drawn up a lot of luck in her stats today! She gingerly reached out to the volume knob, stopping her hand for a second. This wasn't her car to go DJ on. What if Akira didn't like the song?

"...do you mind...if I turn up the volume?" she asked quietly.

He smiled and glanced in her direction. "Not at all."

Relieved, she turned up the volume until the singer's voice was nice and clear. Approving of the volume, she sat back in content and looked over to him. "Do you think it's a nice song?"

"Yeah. I listen to it a lot whenever I have time to myself and want to chill." Futaba nodded at his answer. She sighed deeply and leaned back into her seat. She felt weightless and relaxed.

"It's a good song. Sorry, I wanna take a minute to just listen to it," she murmured. Akira's chuckle vibrated pleasantly in her ears.

"Of course."

Not fighting the sleepiness that took over, she closed her eyes and let her mind drift with the song.

* * *

Akira putting the car in park pulled her out of her sudden nap. She sat up, marks on her face and arm from sleeping in her seat. Her hair was a mess and she had faint drool marks on her mouth.

"Wha? I fell asleep?" she warbled, glancing over to him. He was taking off his seatbelt.

"Just for a little bit. We're here in Yongen-Jaya," he announced, gesturing to the windshield. She stretched and peered out to the familiar view of her hometown. He had parked near the backstreets like Sojiro always did. She bowed her head.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude and fall asleep on you," she apologized forlornly. He patted her head, soothing her.

"It's fine. You looked too comfortable, so I felt bad waking you up." He opened his door to get out.

"Let's take our luggage out. Do you need me to carry anything for you?" he offered. He had one suitcase more than her, so that wouldn't be fair to him. She shook her head.

"I can handle it. I'm gonna head back to my old house. It's not that far from here."

He nodded as he popped open the trunk. "That works. I'm heading over to my probation mentor's workplace."

She pulled her suitcase out and set it on the ground before grinning at him. "Thanks for the ride! If I see you around the place, let me treat you to lunch!"

He beamed at her. "Sounds like a promise. Take care."

She nodded and flounced off to Sojiro's. She never told him what time she'd be arriving, so it'd be a nice surprise.

Yongen-Jaya didn't change at all since the last time she was here. It was good for her to see since she didn't like crazy amounts of change. People here tended to be chill, albeit gossipy, but she preferred this over the city which was full of gossip. Here, she was just Futaba, the quirky daughter of the grumpy cafe owner on the corner of the alleyway. She nodded to the owner of the secondhand shop nearby, who seemed more than glad that one of his top customers was back. She'd have to see if he had any games in stock for her.

Reaching the house, she took a minute to commit it back to memory. The familiar walls, the gate in the front, the shoddy door that was deceptively sturdy. She was home. With her spare key, she entered the house and dumped her suitcase in her room. Sojiro kept her things in place, but she really needed to tidy up later. She slid her window open up to air out her room and stuck her head out to enjoy the breeze. Even the smell of the air was different than it was in Shinjuku. Satisfied that she came, she bounced out of her house to see Sojiro at Leblanc.

The door to the café was the same as always, like she expected it to change. She opened the door like an unsuspected tornado and burst in.

"Sojiro!" she announced, glad that no customers were in. To her surprise, Sojiro was standing with Akira behind the counter with a cup of coffee. Shocked, she bounded over and stared up at the younger man.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, slowly piecing together the story Akira had shared about his mentor a while back.

Akira was finishing his pour in a second cup of coffee and smiled at her. "I took on my old job again."

Sojiro grinned at the sight of her. "Ah, Futaba! Good seeing you! This is-"

She cut him off. "A basement-dweller, I know. Good seeing you too, Sojiro."

Her stepdad chuckled, scratching the back of his head with one hand. "Still as blunt as ever. Akira and I were discussing a few things. I'm thinking of showing him the ropes to take over the business."

At this, Futaba's jaw dropped. Sojiro barely trusted his own regulars. If Akira had told her right, then he had only spent a year with Sojiro while she was in the academy. Now he felt comfortable to give Leblanc to Akira? Sure, there was a few years plus after that, but Sojiro wouldn't even trust the neighbors to have a spare key.

"I didn't think you'd trust anyone enough to let them take over," she answered, still surprised at how small the world was.

Sojiro shrugged. "Didn't think so either. But this one's got a good head on his shoulders. He's the brat I rehabilitated a few years back."

She frowned a little, shifting her weight to one foot. "You never told me much about it. Guess that's normal since I came back and immediately started job hunting."

She had put her head down and gave it her all. Sojiro had encouraged her and didn't talk much about what had gone on because he didn't want to take any attention away from her focus.

Sojiro nodded and smirked. "I'll make sure to tell you all the stories while you're here."

Akira raised his hand a little. "I can share stories too, since I feel like Sojiro might embellish some details."

She couldn't blame him for thinking that. "Sounds like something Sojiro would do. He'd tell me to be careful around you and paint you to be some kind of wolf."

Her stepfather bristled and jutted a thumb in Akira's direction. "He is, by the way. That's not a lie."

She rolled her eyes. "Uh huh. Anyway, I'm assuming the attic was his room, since I remember there being a bed up there. You do know it's oddly suspicious that you never told me about your attic dweller? Despite him living here for a year?"

Sojiro grumbled something, leaving Akira a chance to speak. His eyes grew a little softer. "Wished you had been around for it. It would've been nice if we met sooner."

Well, there technically wasn't anything wrong with that. She would have more friends in high school if she hadn't gone to the academy, but her life may have been different since the academy led her to her current job.

"Could've been," she admitted, "but better late than never."

She yawned, still feeling a bit tired from earlier. "Guess I'm gonna go knock out and replenish my minuscule stamina. Call me for dinner!"

Waving over her shoulder, she dashed out and left them men behind.

As soon as she was out of the door, Sojiro pinned Akira with a look. "Don't think I didn't see how you looked at her."

That cocky smile of his seemed to grow just to spite him. "Not a crime to look, not like I did in any sort of way to make you look at me with disdain. You did tell me back then to not get with your daughter even though you never showed me what she looked like. Never said why."

Sojiro scoffed and rubbed the back of his neck. "'Cause it'd be weird for you to start calling me 'Dad.' I actually wouldn't mind now if you did, since finding an honest boy for Futaba is getting troublesome. No one is worth it. Your smart mouth is something to handle, but her smart mouth counters it. Futaba seems to be your type, as much as I don't want to admit it."

The older man did not appreciate how confident his former ward had. Akira stuck his hands into his pockets with a wide grin. "So you approve of me dating her?"

Sojiro's glare could cut glass, but Akira remained unaffected. "Don't flatter yourself. I'm not saying anything."

Akira chuckled. "Alright, I respect that. _Dad_." His last remark sounded so mocking.

Sojiro groaned, swallowing coffee to keep himself distracted. "Hoo boy, what did I get myself into?"

* * *

Futaba woke up just in time for dinner. She stared out her window dreamily while listening to her favorite, calming song. The slow bustle of people and the faint sound of the train screeching to a stop played in constant, looping motion. Maybe she should come live back home and enjoy the rest of her life like this while still working online. But absence makes the heart grow fonder and she's appreciating every moment now.

Too bad she still had to deal with basic bitches, broke-ass NPCs, hentai weirdos on occasion and budget dollar wannabes on the daily, but she loved returning back to this position by her window.

She pushed off her windowsill and proceeded down the stairs to get to Leblanc, totally ready for the famous curry that her mother backed and improved.

Her curry was ready and sitting innocently in a booth when she came in, but the sight before her was way more tantalizing. Sojiro was guzzling water down with a plate of ruby red curry in front of him. Akira was waving around a ladle with a blank look on his face from the kitchen.

"Don't test how much spice I can lay into a curry. I did warn you," he added with a matter-of-fact tone. She stared fascinated as Sojiro struggled for a witty retort.

"I-I-I'm go-gonna s-s-sue!" he choked out, though the way he said it sounded more like an inside joke.

Akira smirked knowingly. "I'll file it under the other nags you give me." He saluted to Futaba.

"Welcome back. Sojiro prepped a plate for you." He gestured to the plate on the other table. She ignored Sojiro's sufferings and dove for the plate. She clicked her tongue as she waved her spoon in discipline.

"Haven't you told me to not underestimate others?" she scolded. He groaned something. Shrugging, she went to eating, happily bouncing as the curry's bold flavors filled her mouth. She giggled girlishly and put her hands on her cheeks in joy. Akira watched her with fascination, but quickly turned his gaze when she looked up.

After dinner, Futaba stretched out and yawned across the seats. Akira had eaten and went upstairs for his 'privacy.' That probably meant masturbating.

"Time for my evening walk," she announced to no one in particular. Sojiro was in the middle of clearing down for the day, looking up worryingly.

"Be careful. These areas may be safe, but it just takes one person to ruin it for everyone," he lectured. She nodded.

"Don't worry, I'm packing," she answered reassuringly. It did the total opposite.

His eyes were as wide as saucers. "'Packing?!' Is it a gun?! You'll be the trouble I'm warning you about!"

She scoffed. "No, of course not."

Because of his reaction, it probably wouldn't be any better to show him her switch blade. Without another word, she took off into the night. Sojiro sighed loudly. That girl was giving him heart palpitations. He started up the stairs to Akira, who had opened his locked suitcase with his things sprawled out on his old bed. When Sojiro cleared his throat, the younger man turned with an inquisitive look.

"Futaba's gone out. Could you watch over her?" he asked, not surprised to see the contents of the locked suitcase. Akira narrowed his eyes, gesturing to his bed.

"In sight or in the shadows?" he asked.

Sojiro sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Either. Just make sure neither of you get in trouble. But I worry. Neighbors have been complaining about some seedy people from the city crawling over to solicit business."

Akira remained quiet as Sojiro descended down the stairs. Wordlessly, he reached out and pulled the long tailcoat off his bed.

* * *

Futaba walked slowly, taking in the sights of everyone finishing their errands or out for a walk. The stores were closing shop for the day and the crowds began slimming down to a handful of people on the street minding their own business.

She should have been paying attention to the small alley she was passing.

Her entire body was yanked into the alley and her blood froze in fear. She was slammed into the wall and was lucky her skin didn't scrape thanks to her jacket. Her body screamed in pain from the collision and the giant hand grabbing her hair. She shivered in disgust as a large man came into view with a perverse look on her face. Short hair, sweaty complexion, and a suit that was uncanny to the sleazy club promoters from the city hoping to score more girls into coming in and bringing in men.

"Haven't seen you around here. Wanna have some fun, hottie? I know some guys who'll make it worth your time," he snickered, panting at the thought of her on her knees and servicing his clients. She gagged in her mind, but her hands moved faster. Her switch blade was out and she swiped it across the man's arm on her hair. She dug in deep, remembering the golden rule of going all out to defend yourself.

Her blade retreated back into her sleeve as she scrambled to get up again. She was scared, but survival was way more important. As she tried her escape, she cried out when the man reached down and grabbed her ankles, yanking and causing her to hit the pavement. She desperately kicked to free herself, but the man held on tight even after she had cut him and blood was running down his arm. Fuck this guy. She wasn't going to run. She was going to end him.

Her blade clicked out from under her wrist, Futaba forcing herself to turn over and aim the blade straight for his eye. Before she could connect, another dagger emerged from the darkness and sunk centimeters into his back from behind. The man cried out in pain, releasing her from his hold and staggering back. He was forced into standing from a figure she recognized when they stepped into the moonlight.

Tailcoat had his dagger held up to the man's throat, his free hand under the man's jaw and pulling it up to give his dagger space. The man could only see his assailant's eyes.

"You're going to leave her alone, Ryuichi Kanasaki," he hissed out, his voice the familiar deep warble. His eyes were murderous through the mask. Futaba took her chance and ran for it. Tailcoat could handle himself, she was definitely sure of that.

Horror games were definitely not her forte. She slammed into the corner of an alley when she turned too quick, ignoring the pain in her shoulder and continuing to run.

Minutes passed as she followed out of Yongen-Jaya through the backstreets, more determined to get as far away as she could from the man who probably wanted to make her a prostitute. Fuck that guy. If that was his name, she was going to dig up his past and blast that shit on his social media and in the news. As she thought out her revenged, she took another turn out of the alley she was in.

She smacked into a firm, looming body shrouded in darkness. It was way taller than her and intimidating as all hell.

She opened her mouth to scream, but he was quick to silence her by putting his hand on her mouth, coming into the light. Tailcoat. She steadily relaxed, letting him gently release her. He was panting a bit as if he were running around looking for her.

"You're okay," he muttered, more to confirm rather than ask. She huffed in air and coughed roughly. That damn lack of exercise took over once her adrenaline died.

"Am not. I need to level up my endurance," she whined, putting her hands on her knees as she struggled to catch her breath. Tailcoat took her by the chin, moving her head this way and that to look her over. She was going to get bruises by tomorrow. That man was fully intending on marking her body up just enough so he could still sell her without being damaged goods. It made Joker's blood boil. He had the man's information. He was going to bury his ass.

"I should've come sooner," he hissed regretfully. She shrugged. No one could travel in time yet.

"You should've come later. I was going to give him an excuse to wear an eyepatch." He let out a relieved chuckle, thankful that she was alright enough to joke around. She put her hands behind her back and stared at him curiously.

"How come you're here, Tail...dude?" She forced herself to give him a different nickname to keep him off Alibaba's trail. He looked at her in confusion, but said nothing about it.

"My name's Joker, by the way. I'm here on business. You want me to take you home, Futaba?" Ack, she almost forgot that he knew her name. Akechi, that stupid Conan wannabe. She shook her head.

"No thanks. I'm still going on my walk." She started to pass him with her head held high.

He grabbed her by the wrist. "Wait, some guy almost kidnaps you and you still want to be out?" he asked incredulously.

Well, he had a point there. But she was determined to go on.

"Meh, then be my bodyguard, Joker. I still need to walk off the curry I ate."

He looked at her up and down. "Why do you need a walk? You're a fucking stick-oh fine. I'll walk with you. Consider it your payment."

The way he said that got her heated. She stomped her foot. "Debts?! Ugh, forget it! I'd rather take someone's eye out!"

He chuckled. "Please don't actually do that. Come on, it'll be fine." He reached a hand out for her to take.

Feeling as though she could trust him, though she could knife his eye if needed, she took his hand.

"Okay."

* * *

He walked with her to a small empty park nearby with the lake out in the distance. Trendy couples sought after better hotspots like the movie theaters and the dance clubs. At least there was some peace and quiet.

She sat on a swing and slowly rocked herself while Joker took the one next to her. She hummed as she stared up in the sky.

"I have no idea why a phantom thief would be here in a small place like Yongen-Jaya. I think you're lying about having business here," she concluded plainly. Under his mask, Joker cursed her bold attitude. But he played it cool.

"Even if I am lying, it's good that I was around to protect you from that pervert," he pointed out.

She blew a raspberry at him. "_I_ did eighty percent of my rescuing. _You_ just came swinging in with your knife and stole the rest of the glory. And now you lump me with a debt. You're not the only guy who's done that. Do guys throw debts around thinking that girls would be into that? I'm not attracted to having to pay for things."

Joker narrowed his eyes. "You...shouldn't be. This is relaxing though, isn't it? You can relax here and you have a handsome knight protecting you." He grinned when her jaw dropped. She pouted at him.

"Calling yourself handsome is like calling yourself humble. Just because you describe yourself that way doesn't mean it's true. Now if someone else called you handsome besides your mom and grandma, then you can say that. In other words-" She reached out and grabbed his mask.

"I'll be the judge of that! Otherwise you're just a creepy voiced weirdo!" He flinched when he felt the mask become slightly askew. They floundered around with Joker grabbed her wrists while she was trying to pull off his mask.

"Lemme see your face!" she begged.

"No!" he shouted, surprised by her burst of strength despite her size. As if by some miracle, she let go. He nearly fell over when she put herself in balance and left him hanging. She put her hands behind her back innocently.

"I guess you saving me warrants a free day of not being bugged."

He sighed inwardly. Even though she was tiny, she could be pretty overbearing. He readjusted his mask on his face and stepped back.

"Just take my word for it that I'm handsome."

She rolled her eyes. "For now. Shouldn't knights be chasing after princesses or something? This place is relatively safe. I can handle myself now. No one can sneak up to me out in the open like this."

He shook his head in disbelief. "You wouldn't think perverts are hiding in the shadows so that you won't see them on purpose?"

She narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "The only potential pervert I see out here is you. You have plenty of charges against you, ya know. Picking up girls at the club and running away with them while being undetected in a crowded area, sneaking in with a knife to attack another pervert possibly in hopes of stealing their prey, taking said prey to a quiet park with no one around to enact your sick fantasies."

He stared at her in shock as each point stabbed his body. "_You_ took _me_ here! And I was saving you those times!"

She wasn't impressed. "Buttering up your prey. Makes the meal extra savory. But guess what, _Joker_?" she sneered. He just let her say her piece. If she was on a roll, there was no stopping her.

She leaned in to give him her most threatening look, but he got more fear out of seeing utility bills. "Try anything perverted with me and I will bite your lips, your tongue, spit in your face and knee you in the balls."

When he shivered in response, she quickly looking down, but back up again before she saw anything. "That better have been a shiver of fear," she squeaked, still hoping she sounded intimidating.

He chuckled. "A bit."

Disgust trembled up her spine as she sat on the steps of a slide. "Don't tell me you're into that shit."

"I am not. But I like knowing you're strong," he admitted. He leaned against the ladder.

"You remind me of someone I met, but I never got to see her face." She froze. He must've meant Alibaba. She played it cool and lifted her legs up close to her body.

"Don't talk about another girl if you're on this sham of a date with me." She didn't exactly care about his attention, but she needed to change the subject fast. He gave her a stunning grin.

"Not at all. You've got all my attention tonight." His response made her gag. She was saving her secret and a cost. But she'd use this as an excuse to drain more info out of him.

"So, are you single?" he asked boldly. She almost slipped off her stair step. Did this guy seriously ask her that? First he goes talking about Alibaba, now he cared about her relationship status? Why? Was he trying to add her and Alibaba to some harem? Boy, don't play her. She held her tongue.

"How about you answer that first before I do?" she shot back. He hummed a little in thought.

"I'd want to be taken." Ah, so he was desperate. She couldn't relate.

"So go get taken. Is the self-proclaimed 'handsome knight' not a ladykiller?" she teased. In a flash, he was up close in her face, smiling warmly.

"Depends on if she'll take me," he replied huskily. She jolted back, heart drumming in her ears. He looked sincere, but could he really be asking her?! A vision of Akira's smiling, serene face came to mind. Guilt took over the shock.

"Y-you aren't asking me, right? Because-!" she broke off, gazing to the floor. Joker blinked.

"Because what?" he asked. Though his eyes were gleaming with mischief.

She frowned. "N-nothing! You're a nosy joker..." she mumbled.

He chuckled. "Sorry. Can't resist when you're so cute. Anyway, are you single? I answered, so it's your turn."

Ugh, so persistent! She hoped that little outburst of hers made him forget! Of course not.

"Single. Single and staying that way. No guys are interested in me anyway. I barely go out as is. Turns out that was the right thing to do, since all I attract is trouble," she answered, cringing at the thought of the pervert.

He cupped his chin. "I'd beg to differ on that. I'm sure there's someone interested in you."

She raised a brow. There's no way he knew Akira. And maybe he was just messing with her like his namesake entailed.

"Oh? You don't count. We've met twice. That is not enough time to get interested."

He exaggerated being taken aback. "Hey, it's not about how much time you have with someone. It's what you do with it."

Fair enough. She didn't know about romance. She checked her watch, clicking her tongue when she realized Sojiro would be worrying about her at this time to get home.

"I gotta go now. It's almost bedtime," she announced. He pushed off the ladder.

"Alright. I'll walk you home." He held his hand out for her to take. She reluctantly held on and led the way back to Yongen-Jaya.

They reached her doorstep without much drama to be had. She was very lucky no one saw her with the infamous thief. Well, it did help that he used a lockpick on her window and slid it open for her. She landed on her feet in the room and turned to find him gazing expectantly at her as he sat on her window sill.

"Uh, what?" she asked, not hiding the attitude.

He chuckled. "Kiss good night? It's tradition on a date night."

She rose a brow. "Seriously? No way. I don't kiss on the first date. Don't make me recite the assassin's creed and knife you in the throat."

He grinned. "I'm just teasing. Take care of yourself, Futaba."

Before she could respond, he swooped down and was out of sight. What a strange guy, but strange was better than the other guy. She inspected her window. She needed a better lock. Maybe she'd rig a system that sent a shock to the intruder trying to break in. That could help for Sojiro's safety. That was something she could work on while she was here.

* * *

When morning came, she awoke to a message from Tailcoat on her email.

'I hope you've been well. I had a great night just now. It made me want your heart more and more.' She ignored how her heart skipped a beat.

Her response was quick. 'Cannibal.'

She logged off and walked to Leblanc for breakfast. She was greeted by Akira's warm smile that felt just right.

* * *

**So for those of you who don't know based on my notes on other stories, I am a nursing student. The time of these fan fictions were during summer break and unfortunately, the time is coming to an end. You may not hear from me for another three months and maybe more since winter break doesn't exist since we jump into it relatively quick. I hope to return, but I've had so much fun writing so far! I always try to do long chapters to make up for the long waits!**

Next chapter preview:

_"I'm onto you and your sex dungeon."_

_..._

_"I know what a key's for. Unlocking things."_

_..._

_"Futaba, there's something I wanted to ask you."_


	4. Key Item, Literally

**Ignore the last dialogue in the preview! The chapter was getting quite long and I added a different scene that will take time before we get to that point. Note, there are PERSONA 5 ROYAL SPOILERS. And I mean the characters and dynamics.**

* * *

The next morning after breakfast with Akira and Sojiro, Futaba was hard at work for hours with a screwdriver and screwing in the last bits of the little device she made. Engineering at the academy was a huge plus next to the programming classes she had to take. She had to stick half of her body out to get the whole thing installed correctly. Unfortunately, physical education was not high up in the curriculum and her abs were now paying for it. Below on the ground floor was Akira, who had just come by to get her for lunch at Leblanc.

"Futaba! Sojiro has food ready! And..." he trailed off when he saw her sweating and bending her body out uncomfortably.

"What are you doing?" he asked curiously, staring at her.

She grinned, straightening up and wiping her forehead. "I'm glad you're here, basement-dweller! Level up to second floor and get up here! I need you to test something for me!"

He dutifully walked into the house and headed upstairs to her room. Walking in, he seemed wary of her eager grin as she gestured to her window. He took a minute to survey her room. She was hard at work on something and the mass of tools and metal were to show for it. Her window was ordinary looking except for a fine black frame with a bulky dark green handle that looked like a normal window handle from far away. Looking closely, the window seemed like it was a pattern of criss-crosses like a spiderweb. She grabbed his hand and stuck it out the window, laying it on the spiderweb patterning the outside. The green handle beeped onto life and little lights were going off, that's when he noticed a little speaker on it that announced a prerecorded message to him.

"INITIATING ELECTRIC SHOCK IN 3...2..." it counted down. He yanked his hand out of her hold and retreated back into the safety of the room. Futaba shoved her arms down and stomped her foot.

"Hey! Put your hand on it so I can test to see if it works!" she demanded. He shook his head wildly.

"Hell no! What is this for?!" he shouted, pointing an accusing finger at her window.

She scoffed like she was insulted. "Uh, security? Obviously. I found out how easy it is to break into a window. And this is the best defense."

His brain almost short-circuited like it would have if he stayed on the window. "Your plan is to electrocute someone going through the window? You could really kill someone!"

She shrugged, blankly regarding what he said. "Well if they weren't doing what they weren't supposed to be doing, then they wouldn't get electrocuted! Honestly, do you think I'm really going to be sympathizing with my potential home invaders?" she pointed out plainly.

Unfortunately, she had a point. "Probably not. How bad is the electric shock, by the way?" he asked, for a friend, of course.

She shrugged again. She didn't quite think that part through. "Dunno. I just installed it. Hopefully they won't die. But at least Sojiro and I will be okay. I keyed it to our DNA and voice recognition."

She sounded so proud, but Akira was way more confused.

"You keyed it to your DNA...? How...?" he asked, trying to process her process.

She mimed a zipping motion over her lips. "If I tell you the trade secrets of Toshibaya Tech Academy, they might send a bunch of stamina-deficient nerds to try and kill you. You'll probably live, but you're better off not having to deal with that."

Oddly enough, the stamina-deficient nerds might be out of breath by the time they reach him. But that's not what he was concerned about.

"What kind of school did Sojiro send you to?" he asked, wondering if the existence of the school was detrimental to humanity.

She grinned. "Mwehehehe, I asked myself that every day I was there. Let's go eat!"

She sprung out, leaving him in shock for several seconds before he followed suit, carefully moving without touching anything. Who knew what else kind of booby traps she had in her room.

At lunch, Futaba was revealing her security plan to Sojiro while happily chowing down on a sandwich. Akira silently watched the older man's reaction over his coffee mug as he drank to avoid feeling awkward.

Sojiro looked like he was over life. "Futaba, uninstall it when we get back." Even his voice was over it.

She quirked a brow. "I sense ungratefulness."

"And I sense incoming lawsuits," Sojiro countered, pinching the bridge of his nose as a migraine swirled in his head.

"It's called home defense," she chastised, miffed by his reaction.

Sojiro massaged the back of his neck. "Then install normal security where the police is automatically called when there's a break-in and have those automatic walls that slide up like you did with Leblanc's security."

That would be easy, like walking a cake. But man, where was the fun in that? And hers was a way better system. Who was going to try and break through an electric fence for a house out in a plain place like theirs?

"Yeah, but that's boring...electric shock defense would prevent possibilities of future break-ins."

Sojiro shook his head. "I'm not denying that, but seriously, electric shock? You'd get a stray cat climbing your window than a human."

She wasn't about to back down in defense of her genius. "And by the off chance a human tries to go in through the window, the might of Thor knocks them off and flying down to the first floor."

Maybe they'd break their neck. Maybe they shouldn't have tried breaking into someone else's house. Sojiro nearly choked when he drank water.

"You seriously want a dead body in our yard?!" he wheezed out, coughing as Akira wordlessly helped him clear out the water in the wrong pipe.

Futaba wasn't concerned by his near-death experience. "Dead bodies are deterrents, I'm sure. Right, Akira?" she asked, eyes shining for affirmation.

He wasn't about to spite the guy giving him a roof to sleep under while he was here.

"This coffee is delicious, Sojiro."

She frowned and pouted, grumbling over the lack of appreciation of her obvious gift.

* * *

Sojiro had gone out for the rest of the day to one of his old friend's for some talk and cigarettes like any old man does, leaving the place to them and ingredients in the fridge for dinner since he wouldn't be home. Akira was cleaning some of the dishes when Futaba skittered over to the coffee counter. She awkwardly shifted, unsure if this was a great idea but knew that she couldn't handle being alone.

"Hey, got a minute?" she called out. He finished the dishes, wringing his hands dry and setting them in his pockets before he turned to her. His quiet look meant he was waiting for her to speak.

She squirmed under his gaze. "I can't go to this place on my own. Can you come with me? It's a cemetery. I know we aren't that close, but I really need someone there..." she muttered.

He smiled patiently at her. "I say we're pretty close, Futaba. At least more than just acquaintances. Here, I'll take off my apron and we can close up shop early."

She smiled gratefully, turning to help lock up for a few hours before leading Akira to the cemetery.

* * *

The walk there was quiet, but she needed the quiet. She came every time she got back to Yongen-Jaya, which wasn't very often. Though she still struggled to hold in her tears, she was always glad to come. Just not by herself. She needed someone to fall on or she would stay for hours. She silently bought a bouquet on the way and Akira carried them for her. He hadn't said a word either, respecting her silence as they came around the corner to the cemetery. As he suspected.

"Wakaba's grave," he stated, recognizing the red bricks of the enclosure and metal gates.

She turned to him in shock. "You knew?" she asked. Sojiro even told him?

Akira nodded. "Sojiro would mention her from time to time. Mainly about how amazing she was and how much you're like her. It was on the rare occasions when Sojiro opened up to me back then. He really loved her."

She smiled. "He did."

She lead him through the gate and towards her mother's grave. She was shaking with each step. Losing her mom years ago to illness was painful, but Wakaba said she was happy with her life. Having Futaba, she said, was the greatest accomplishment next to her accolades from her research in cognitive psience. She had left her the books and memories that she kept in her room to treasure her mother's memory.

When she stopped and felt the urge to run, Akira silently nudged her forward with little force. She was grateful for that, moving with a little more confidence until she reached the gravestone.

'In Loving Memory of Isshiki Wakaba. A Mother, Sister, Genius and Friend.' She sighed, memorizing the words since the first time it had been placed. The gravestone had been scrubbed cleanly with fresh offerings, from her family. It was strange. She wasn't close to her mom's side of the family after she died, staying with Sojiro who reconnected with Wakaba a while before. But according to him, her uncle visited regularly now and cleaned if Sojiro wasn't there that day.

She took the flower bouquet and placed it in the vase in front of the grave. She crouched down and smiled.

"Hi, Mom. I'm back. I've been good. The city life is just as horrible as you told me it wasn't. Sojiro's still Sojiro. We've both got all our limbs. And I'm friends with a basement-dweller like you were worried about." She grinned at that, which Akira was silently smiling at as well. Wakaba didn't want her only interaction to be with basement-dwellers and couch surfers. She knew the kind. Wakaba would like her new friends, though. She was glad to formally introduce one today.

"I...I miss you, M-Mom..." She struggled to hold back her tears, crying and sobbing against her will as she tried to wipe her face before she was a disaster. Akira gently knelt down and took her by the shoulders, bowing his head to Wakaba.

"Wakaba-san, we're leaving now. We'll visit again." He had already met her before with Sojiro and the tough older man was forlorn and quiet. Both of the ones she loved still had a hard time living without her. Futaba sniffed.

"B-bye, Mom." She let Akira take her away before she would collapse.

Outside the cemetery with a bottle of water in hand, Futaba crouched down on the seat of the wooden bench he had walked her to. He took a seat next to her with the packet of tissues he thought to take with them. She sniffed with a handful of tissues in her fist.

"I've never cried like that before. I have always handled it a little better, but today was just-" she struggled to come up with an explanation, but Akira shook his head.

"You don't have to explain. Everyone has those days." His smile was kind.

She smiled, glad that he wasn't the type to press. She bounced up and jumped off the bench, ignoring the stinging in her legs.

"Let's head back! Have to clean out my little security system before Sojiro gets back."

He obliged and got up, walking alongside her as she had a little more bounce in her step.

She hummed in thought. She couldn't just get rid of it. It took her a hot minute to get that baby running and she wanted it to see more life before it gets taken apart or dunked into the trash. "Maybe I'll install it in my apartment."

She lived in the city. The city gets rough at night. It'd be a cinch to move it to the window.

Akira raised a brow. "Would your landlord allow it?" he asked, already knowing she couldn't.

She clicked her tongue. What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"Until he touches your window," he added.

"It'll warn him, right?" she asked innocently. She put a countdown in for mercy.

He rolled her eyes. "You'll get kicked out of your place."

She didn't feel threatened and Akira wondered why, but he was sure it was another secret of the weird academy Sojiro sent her to.

* * *

They had gone home the next day and Futaba was missing her video games. Sojiro of course forced her to promise to take care of herself and she countered that she was doing a good job of not being dead. But whatever.

Her beautiful security system was dismantled and placed into the car. She still liked it. She'd use it as defense for herself. Sojiro had the chance and squandered it.

She had fallen asleep in Akira's car on the drive back and managed to drag herself into her apartment by the time they got back. She smiled tiredly at him before thanking him again for not only taking her to Yongen-Jaya, but also to her mom.

A few days later on her next day off and after a breakfast of stale cereal, she booted up the otome game she had been playing with all the intentions to give her character a happy ending.

...then the next hour happened.

Futaba's hand trembled, clicking nervously to advance the text on the screen. Her fucking character was about to get yandere'd. She decided to answer sensibly and shifted to rejecting the yandere when he was getting too creepy on her. He did not like that apparently and was chaining her down in a basement modified to be a sex dungeon. Her character accidentally came upon it and he cornered her in a jump scare that had her falling off her chair. It did not help that he looked like Akira if his hair wasn't frizzy. If he ever had that creepy smile on his face, she'd take the bat to his jaw. She dragged herself up to the keyboard and hit the keys to continue the obvious Bad Ending.

_'It's okay, love. I'll never hurt you. You say you hate me? It's alright. I have plenty of time to make you love me. And if you try to reject me again, I'm sure your mother won't mind a visit from her future son-in-law. But don't worry. I'll never hurt you. There's everyone else who will hurt for you. Starting with that friend of yours.'_ Futaba shivered as she read, throwing off the headphones when a creepy, seductive laugh vibrated in her ears suddenly. Her screen went black and she got an image of her character being tied up by the yandere. She heaved in deep breaths and nearly screamed when her phone rang innocently. Akira.

She heavily debated answering him. What if he was a godforsaken yandere? A nice guy to your face but had a secret dungeon? Of course, he couldn't possible be a basement-dweller, he was using it for his personal sex dungeon!

But she could whoop his ass, she thought confidently. She had a baseball bat and mastered the art of psycho-bitch-who-can-claw-your-eyes-out. Akira was her friend, but she would do anything to guarantee survival. Sojiro taught her well. Alright, she was going to answer him!

"Whatcha want this time, _Akira_?" she asked suspiciously when she answered. Akira whistled on the other line.

_"Oh, I did not like that tone. What have I done in your mind this time, Futaba?"_ he teased.

She twitched. "I'm onto you and your sex dungeon," she warned, pointing into the receiver. She flinched when she heard a sharp intake of breath.

_"Shit."_ Fuck, he actually sounded uncomfortable. But he suddenly switched back to normal and laughed easily.

_"I was joking," _he replied. She didn't feel like he was.

"I'm hanging up and reporting you," she stated, already searching for complaints she could file.

_"O-okay!"_ he stuttered, not wanting to test her. _"I'm sorry. Seriously though, lay off the otome games. Some of them are actually horror games with pretty characters."_

She frowned. On her computer was a newly downloaded game called 'Deredere Royal Love!' Which was apparently a sexy otome game, but some of the smiles were a little...off? But could an introvert like her read people all that well? Absolutely not.

"I have one more game to try though!" she whined, remembering how long the download took.

He rolled his eyes._ "Uh-huh. Sure. Ryuji and Yusuke are both home. They wanna play Mario Party. You game to team up?"_

She gasped. The ultimate game of betrayal and teamwork. She put her computer to sleep and shouted her confirmation before she ordered a cab to his place.

* * *

The next few weeks were ordinary. She worked and didn't hear much from the grapevine about the Phantom Thieves. When she joined Detective Conan and his girlfriend Sumire for a fancy brunch, the two girls were subjected to his prophecy that they were waiting to strike. Only his girlfriend wasn't rolling her eyes.

She grew closer to Akira's group as they continued to spend time together. It felt like it had been such a long time since she had friends. Her childhood consisted of her being bullied until she snapped and used all of her weight to yank a girl around by her ponytail, so friendship was out the window with kids who thought she was a freak and were scared to let her know. The academy was full of oddballs and she didn't trust any of them, especially during coding because no bitch was stealing her codes. Sumire and her sister Kasumi were good friends she met in middle school, but the two sisters weren't able to see her when Futaba had to move for a bit to the academy.

She found herself laughing more and even hugging the other girls in Akira's friend group. She joked with Ryuji and ate sweets with Ann. Arguing with Yusuke both infuriated and amused her. Helping Haru garden was calming. Analyzing movies and people's behavior with Makoto helped her understand people a little. But her most meaningful relationship was with Akira.

She thought things would be more awkward between them since visiting her mom, but no. Instead, things were normal.

Until one day after she came over to help Ryuji build a new PC. Akira had made them all lunch and Ryuji disappeared into his room to play Dark Souls. Futaba was finishing the dishes when Akira approached her, holding a key. She didn't think much of it, wiping her hands and moving towards the living room, but he stopped her in her tracks.

He held out the little gold key. "Here."

She didn't reach out to take it, keeping her arms at her sides. "No."

He curiously tilted his head. "You're not going to ask what it's for?"

What did he think she was, an uneducated swine? She held her arms behind her back. "I know what a key's for. Unlocking things."

He smiled. "It's for the place."

Whoa. She did a double take. From her otome games, she learned that a character giving you a key for their place meant commitment. She never gave the keys to her character's place to anyone because she was afraid of the yandere. "W-why are you giving it to me?" she asked, trying her best not to stumble over her words.

He was grinning now. He finally caught her off-guard. "So you can come over without me having to get the door for you all the time. It's a lot of work to walk twenty steps, you know," he added sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm laughing, I promise. But why me?" Did anyone else have a key?

"You come over at least once a week," he pointed out. His other friends hung out at his place sometimes, but they tended to hang out in public places.

She raised a brow. "Is that really grounds to give someone a key to your place? Sojiro wouldn't give a key to his regulars and they come to Leblanc every morning."

"That would be an awful idea. They'd clear out all of his coffee beans in a minute." Especially the older couple. You can't turn their back on them. But that was another point.

He smiled, his face reddening a shade. "I like having you around, Futaba. The guys do too. I asked them if this was cool and Ryuji was into it. Yusuke...well, majority rules," he chuckled, remembering his pained expression.

She smiled nervously. She did like coming around and the house was cozier than her apartment sometimes. She put her hands on her hips.

"Well, if you insist. I guess I have no other choice then to accept it."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, no more otome games. Tsunderes only work in anime and games."

She pouted and swiped the key out of his hand. "I have one more I need to play!"

At that moment, Ryuji let out a scream so loud that the windows practically shook.

She winced. "He's only playing Dark Souls, why is he screaming like he saw a mouse?" she asked, sneaking a peak up the stairs.

Akira sighed, used to the screaming. "He's not playing Dark Souls. He's playing Deredere Royal Love with the female version."

She paled. What the hell kind of game did she download this time? She shook her head, putting the game on the back of her mind. She held the key close and smiled softly before following Akira to watch him play Breath of the Wild. She felt a little flutter in her chest when she sat next to him, feeling small brushes of his body heat against her.

* * *

It didn't take long for the girls to find out about the key. The rapid responses flooded her phone so much that she kept it on to let the messages flow. Ann mentioned something about getting a drawer next, but who knew what that meant. Either way, Haru wanted them over for a garden party soon to 'discuss' things further. Futaba shrugged as she read the texts. What an odd group this was, but it wasn't unpleasant.

What was unpleasant was this disaster of a dating game. She was having a fun time with seemingly normal guys and cutesy shit until one day, her character found a dead body of an NPC in the royal kitchen! When did this become a horror game?! Her scream rattled the sound barrier when a jumpscare happened from the character's best friend. She sent a quick text to Ryuji that she understood his pain before turning off the game to get some water. A text from Akechi caught her eye during her first sip, which was asking her for a consultation over a security job she took for a small business in Shibuya. Something about if her security had capabilities to catch activity from the large bank next door. She'll get back to him eventually. It was after hours.

She sighed as she drank, looking at her security system on the window by her kitchen. She had successfully convinced her landlord about the wonders of her security system and he was initially wary, but allowed her to keep it just for a trial run to see if it deterred any intruders. Luckily, the area was relatively safe. Though it wasn't uncommon to get a wayward drunk from the city to the apartment place.

Intruders...a certain Tailcoat came to mind. Strange, he hadn't messaged her in a while. Maybe he was done messing with her. How mildly disappointing, but not like she made a move to keep him around. Persistent people were exhausting.

She finished her drink and set her cup in the sink, debating on the next approach to her game to start saving her character from a lunatic murderer. Trust no one.

* * *

Akechi invited her out for coffee in the morning and Futaba struggled to be enthusiastic. While she liked the recent changes to hang out with others, it was still exhausting. She just wanted to go to the arcade and tear Akira's highest score asunder. But she was here for business.

Akechi was finishing his current sip of coffee as he leaned onto the table, a still from the security camera printed in full. "Futaba-kun, your security system for the ramen shop seemed like it was pointing towards the bank as well when taking in the radius of the store's surroundings along with how long it was there. I just want to know the extent of how far. The owner said she wasn't exactly sure and mentioned your name for the one who created the system.

She poked at her small morning cake with a dainty fork before nearly taking his eye out with it when she jabbed it towards him, but he moved in time. "I need to know why, Conan. The only reason why I was hired for the job was because the owner was fed up with drunks thinking her kitchen window was the entryway when the shop was closed. The camera isn't looking at the bank because there's motives for it."

He nodded patiently. "I understand. You see, this bank is owned by Kurogiri Izuo. He admittedly doesn't have the cleanest history with nepotism and paying off schools for his children to attend with little effort. There are also allegations of extortion and bribery. However, I feel that the Phantom Thieves are aiming for a family heirloom of his family."

She smirked at the name. "Haven't given up on them yet?"

He exhaled in annoyance. "You'd understand if you were flipped onto a pile of garbage. But this isn't personal. Their crimes have gone unchecked for months."

She shrugged. "But don't they only target corrupt assholes?"

He nodded, albeit reluctantly. "Yes, but vigilantism isn't always a good thing. Vigilantism can be based on objective points, but bleeds into subjective depending on the emotions involved. And the support they have garnered may be positive, but what if there is a call for the blood of others who are not as corrupt but still not fully clean? Anyone who mildly veers off the moral compass based on society's reaction may point fingers when there is just a hint of the person not being perfectly moral. It essentially becomes the modern day Salem Witch Trials."

Well, he had a point there. But no one had been marked for crimes that were less than what was targeted. There was a fear that they'd move on from one level to a lower level with lesser crimes. The Phan-site made for them were full of odd requests more than real crimes. Calls to expose a parent's affair after their teenager was stopped from sneaking out or outing a store owner's debts when someone had been caught stealing. In the end, people were selfish and asked for things to better themselves than to help others.

"The camera is set between the ramen shop and the bank," she explained. "It can be controlled remotely, but all you'll really get are these windows here."

She pointed at the windows of the bank. "These angles won't allow you to see activity going on inside, but only if someone goes from the outside of this wall to the inside of the bank."

He nodded along, jotting down notes as she spoke.

She sighed. "Ya know, I doubt the owners would be dumb enough to keep their heirloom in the bank."

He smirked a little and rolled his eyes. "My suggestion exactly. But we were subjected to a lecture about their superior security team. I want to do a thorough job in investigating. If something happens, I have on record that we informed them of their poor decision to persist with the plan. I don't have time to play a blame game with willfully ignorant fools."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Right. Shouldn't you be planning on how to propose to Sumire?"

He smiled warmly. "Yeah..."

She rolled her eyes next. He looked like the deredere dope in the games. But, her eyes sharpened, deredere dopes were sneakiest and might actually be a yandere!

"Just don't chain her up in your basement!" she yelled, ready to fight for her friend. Her yell caught the attention of everyone else and their dog at the café. He looked very alarmed and hurried to shush her before the owner would come and ban them.

He sighed as they left the café. He had bought her an additional cupcake for her silence and to placate her. Her glares were vicious and he was sure she would find some sort of embarrassing dirt on him and give it to Sumire.

"Futaba-kun, the amount of video games you play is staggering. But the stories are getting more ridiculous."

She licked the buttercream on her cupcake and grinned. "Just 'cause fun dies with you doesn't mean I'm letting it die on me."

He shook his head in disbelief. Sumire was a saint for having so much patience and a lack of surprise when dealing with her. But Futaba's quick wit kept him on his toes.

"I'll see you later. Maybe when work isn't involved. Safe travels home." He bowed his head to her before disappearing in the crowd. She waved absently and skipped away with her cupcake.

Now that she got her fill of messing with Akechi, time to move on and go play her games. She had pulled out a map to strategize the best route for her to take and not get murdered in game.

* * *

At night, she curled in her chair and observed the camera footage in her screen to watch the ramen shop. The bank had nothing interesting going on so far. Maybe the Phantom Thieves weren't going to come tonight.

She looked over at the chat she had with Joker. She might as well make an attempt to ask and see. She was nosy. She turned to type on her keyboard.

'Have plans tonight?' she asked. To her surprise, it didn't take long for a response.

'Have a date tonight. ;)'

She smirked. 'With a bank?'

'Nope. That was another night. Still want your heart btw. How about it?' he asked. She quirked a brow. Bold move after he said he was going on a date.

'Two-timing manwhore. You just said you had a date,' she typed, getting annoyed.

'With you, duh,' he replied.

She scoffed. He didn't know what she looked like! 'How are you gonna achieve that, Tailcoat?'

'I have my ways.'

She smirked. What was he gonna do, hack her firewall and trace her IP? Child's play. She had herself covered. 'Right. Try anything funny and you're gonna get hit with a homer.'

Her beautiful bat was waiting to be used by her bed.

His response was sarcastic as always. 'Literally shaking. You scared I'll see your face?'

She frowned. Of course she was concerned. She could imagine her DMs overflowing from simps sliding in if they saw her face. Even a girl who was fairly average could score legions of desperate guys begging for a morsel of attention. She was not interested in becoming a nerd's fantasy. Even if it was just finding out she was a girl, her DMs would be stacked. She almost missed his response.

'Put on a disguise, maybe? I honestly won't tell anyone who you are. That's your secret to tell. But I'd like to meet you in person.'

She was a master of disguise. The better question was if she even wanted to see him. He knows who she is in real life. What if he connected the dots? It was risky to go, but her curiosity was stronger than her sense of concern.

'Inokashira Park.' If you try something, you're gonna get a bat to the face.'

He sent her a heart before she logged off to get ready.

* * *

Dressed in a huge coat, thigh highs, shorts and her face covered by a plague mask, she discreetly rode the cab to the park with her taser gun and pepper spray in her bag. The mask doubled as a weapon she could use to peck him. Her driver looked concerned about her getup, but muttered something about cults and drove without complaint.

Joker was already waiting by the entrance of the park, not a soul around except for a couple who was probably hoping to engage in M-rated behavior. He was dressed in his tailcoat and usual accessories, the dark black blending in with the night. He took at her look when she got out of her cab and bit back a laugh.

"Nice look," he commented, his voice warbled by the changer.

She put a hand on her hip. "If you're sarcastic, I'm going to peck you now." Her voice was also warped with her own changer.

He held up his hands in surrender. "Absolutely not. Come on." He held out a hand and waited for her to take it.

She didn't hesitate with her arsenal at her side. Taking his hand, she let him take her into the park and away from possible attention.

* * *

**'Deredere Royal Love!' is not a real game. It is my off-brand version of Doki Doki Literature Club.**


End file.
